Shattered, Repaired, Renewed: Brothers
by The Third Biker Scholar
Summary: The BMFM are headed to Las Vegas to save Rimfire and his crew! But what they find is much more dangerous than Area 51, and sends shockwaves throughout the group as to what it means to be a family...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Dudes, two stories later and I still don't own the mice. Damn my luck...

Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Silva (Modo's Momma) and Auri (Modo's lost wife/mate) are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Shattered, Repaired, Renewed: Brothers

Chapter 1

Chef Andrew Steinhaur of Chicago's Hoogie Stack shook his head in exasperation. Now he'd seen some astonishing things, living in the same town as the Biker Mice from Mars. But this was surely up there as one of the funniest, and sorriest, things he'd ever seen involving his three friends.

Throttle was blushing, Modo was having a nosebleed, and Vincent Van Wham was about to do cartwheels in joy. Silva, (Modo's mother) was being held up by Auri, (Modo's wife), she was laughing so hard. And Charley, wonder mechanic and current girlfriend of Throttle...well, Charley was the maddest they had ever seen her.

The mechanic was currently standing in front of her boyfriend, hands on her hips and glaring at the dozen or so Las Vegas showgirls that were crowding around them. Her normal calm demeanor had gone completely out the window when the flock of girls had started groping her mouse. Most of the girls, recognizing the look of '**back off, he's mine'**, were giving the tan mouse some space. The bolder ones, though, were looking Charley over with the '**I could take her' **look. Charley had recognized that look and was getting ready to steal Throttle's laser so she could take care of the feather covered pests.

How did they end up in Vegas, you ask? Less than two weeks ago, Silva, Modo's mother, had arrived on Earth with a long scar on her chest. The Mice had welcomed her back with open arms, Charley especially delighted to finally meet the famous Momma of Modo's memories. But the happy reunion didn't last, as Limburger and Karbunkle revealed that they were responsible for her arrival, and had implanted a bomb in her chest to force the Mice to do their evil bidding. The brave Mice were forced to attack innocent workers at a factory, and even to fire on their friend Four-by at Karbunkle's command.

Through the daring actions of Charley and Chef Andy Steinhaur, they managed to overload the bomb and save Silva's life. Limburger and Karbunkle lost their hold over the Biker Mice and were defeated. And to the joy of Modo, Auri, the mate he had believed long dead, was inside Karbunkle's lab and rescued by Charley. The two were reunited, the grey Mouse with his half rat-half mouse wife. But sadly, not before a group of Limburger's thugs had mostly destroyed the Last Chance Garage. The damage was still unrepaired as they left Chicago for Las Vegas.

As to why they were in Vegas, the answer was simple. Rimfire and his biker bros had somehow been sent by transporter into a famous race, the Sutterfeild, in Las Vegas, and seen on international television without their helmets. They had been taken off stage by a group of girls, claiming to everyone that they were a part of a stunt show called Project M. Throttle, Modo, and Vincent were now on their way to find and rescue their friends, with Charley, Silva, Auri, and Chef Andy with them in a modified Airstream trailer/tank called the Mothership.

It had been a long trip. They had arrived in Vegas two days after the Last Chance Garage had been totalled. The Martians were stunned and amazed at the Strip. The casinos and lights, stunt shows, and pageantry...the roller coaster rides that catered to adrenaline junkies like Vinnie every day. They nearly had to strap the mouse to his bike to stop him from running off.

Charley had called ahead to do some investigating at the Swisslog Hotel and Casino, the rumored home of the Project M Stunt Show, but it seemed like she was one of many to do so. According to the representative she talked to, everyone in Vegas had been calling in to find those 'three costumed riders.' From motorcycle magazine reporters to modeling agencies that wanted the number for their make-up artist, the phones had been ringing off the hooks. But the Swisslog crew had no idea what the buzz was all about. According to them, there was no Project M stunt show.

That had worried all of them. No stunt show meant no other clues except for the girls that had taken the younger mice off the stage. And they only had a description of them to go by. The group had stopped in the Bellagio hotel/casino outer parking lot so Charley and Andy could make some phone calls to try and track down their mystery girls when a group of the casino's showgirls had spotted them. The long-legged performers had nearly swooned when they recognized their bikes as the same kind that had won the Sutterfeild Tournament, and rushed over to talk to them. Their racy costumes had made Throttle and Modo blush to high heaven, and had made Vinnie's face split with the biggest grin they had ever seen him wear.

"Oh my god, it's them!!"

"Project M! I saw them on TV!"

One girl pulled a marker and small t-shirt out of...nowhere and offered it to Throttle. "Can we have your autograph? Oh, please, my son would be so happy! The stunts your crew pulled were so wicked cool!"

The tan mouse looked a bit startled at the idea, but composed himself quickly. "Sure."

Suddenly sharpie pens and t-shirts were flying as the excited girls tried to get all three mice's autographs. Some girls tried to get more than that from Throttle and the poor mouse had been vastly unnerved by the attention. Charley had come charging out, more than willing to yell at the girls to leave her guy alone. Things went to a standstill as the showgirls and the mechanic stared each other down.

And then one of them was stupid enough to try the same thing on Modo. Silva was too stunned to move, but Auri was out in a flash and madder than hell. She shouted angrily, but her throat, damaged when she was a slave to a Plutarkian master, couldn't make a sound. Charley was happy to shout for her friend. "Get your feathered mitts off him!" She barely restrained herself from throwing punches. "Alright, girls, enough's enough. Hands off the merchandise, capisce? You mess up their costumes, you pay for them."

"Aw Charley, they're just admiring great work, right girls?" Vinnie asked happily. Three showgirls were draped over his bike and two were in his lap, all five giggling. The white mouse looked over to where Andy stood in the doorway of the trailer. "Please tell me you have a camera!! I want for this for posterity!"

"You don't know what posterity means," Modo pointed out.

"I still want it!"

"That's our Vinnie," Throttle said, shaking his head. The tan mouse fought back the raging blush that nearly covered his face, trying to get back his composure. He leaned forward on his bike's handlebars. "Hey ladies, you don't know anything about the rest of our bros, do ya?"

The girls exchanged glances. "Are they lost? They said that they were from the Swisslog, but we heard that they aren't working there."

"We sent them ahead to scout out a new gig for us," the tan mouse said, improvising as he went. "The Swisslog doesn't pay that well."

"No kidding," one of the girls said. "Especially after they got bought out by that Monterrey Corporation."

Modo's ears twitched at that. "Monterrey Corporation?"

"Yeah, it showed up a couple of years ago and just started buying up properties and casinos all over the strip." The girl frowned a bit. "Weird thing is, they never build anything. They just blow it up, tear it down, and put up signs advertising this new thing they're going to put in and nothing ever starts."

The mice exchanged glances. That sounded awfully familiar. "And you said the Swisslog is owned by the Monterrey Corporation?"

"Yeah. Oh hey, and about your friends? Cindy heard that they were spotted down at The High Roller Garage."

"Oh I know that place," another girl chimed in. "Kawasaki can get you the best deal on parts in town! Tsu's an awesome mechanic."

"Thanks, girls," Throttle said politely.

"Yes, thank you," Charley said frostily. Auri echoed it in her look. "Now if we could just get the directions, we'll be on our way." A few minutes later, the showgirls waved a sad goodbye to the Martians and the mini-convoy was off to the High Roller Garage.

"You know, I thought those girls were really nice," Vinnie said cheerfully. He had to duck pretty quick to avoid the screwdriver Charley threw at him from the trailer window.

"You just can't wait to find out if there's an afterlife, can you?" Modo asked.

&

The High Roller Garage was in a modest part of town, nothing too flashy about it. Except for the insane amount of motorcycles that were parked everywhere. Dirt bikes, street bikes, choppers of every make and model, classic and vintage bikes lined the road. Leather jackets and racing suits were all over the place. Biker gangs of every age and race were making themselves known, a wide respectful distance given to some of the more notorious groups. Rock and roll of different genres boomed throughout, several stereos and radios cranked up to the local channels.

"We have died and gone to heaven," Vinnie said reverently. Throttle and Modo looked like they were about to agree as they pulled up to the garage. The Sutterfeild Tournament had drawn in bikers from all over the country, and several were staying over for Vegas's Bike Week.

"I love Tournament season," Charley said happily as she changed out of her travel clothes from

the back of the trailer.

"Oh? You've been to one of these before, dear?" Silva asked.

The human girl paused a second. "It was a long time ago, but you never forget it. It can get a little crazy around here."

"Oh, I'm sure the boys can handle it," the mouse said reassuringly.

"Oh, its not the boys I'm worried about," the girl laughed. "If they can handle the Pitts, I'm sure they'll be alright with this crowd. I'm more worried about what the boys might do to them!"

The mice dismounted from their bikes, stretching a bit to work the road kinks out of their systems. Several bikers eyed their rides with appreciation, some whipping out cameras to take pictures. A glare from Modo put a stop to that as he knelt to polish away the road dirt from Lil' Hoss. "You gonna sit this one out, big guy?" Throttle asked.

"Yeah, gotta see to my darlin'," he said.

"Shouldn't you two do that in private? Or does Auri-girl know about the affair?" Vinnie said suggestively.

The grey mouse rolled his eye. "Throttle?"

"Yeah, Modo?"

"Would you?"

"Sure." The tan mouse proceeded to smack the white mouse upside his head. "OWWW!!"

"I better keep an eye on this crowd too, be sure they keep away from our bikes." He glanced over at the trailer, a smirk pulling at his mouth. "And from the Mothership."

Throttle grit his teeth, "Why did he have to call it that?"

Vinnie grinned, "Lighten up, bro. Admit it, its funny."

"No, its not," he snapped.

"It is to," said a softer voice. Both mice turned to face Charley and both jaws dropped at the sight of her. She wore a tight white t-shirt that Throttle was certain he would be hiding from her in the future, her hair up in a loose twist with a clip. Stonewash low-rider jeans clung to her hips, her trusty cowboy boots peeking out from underneath the hems. And a black leather jacket, ladies cut to show off all the right places, with an outline of a blood red butterfly stitched into the back was on her shoulders.

"Whoa, Charley-girl. Where'd you get the new duds?" Vinnie asked.

"These? Had 'em for years, Vin," she said as she walked up to Throttle's side. She used one finger to lift his jaw shut. "Ready to go, otaku?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right," he said, clearing his throat. He knocked on the door to the garage, all three startling a bit as the door opened easily. Suddenly a little black haired streak tried to slip past them out the door, giggling madly. Throttle caught the little one easily, the blur turning out to be a three year old child that squealed happily in the mouse's arms. "Hey there, kiddo, where you runnin' in such a hurry?"

"'Tou not watchin', so I go hide," the boy said with a laugh. "Playin'!"

"Bic! Bic, where are you?!" A frantic voice called.

"Is Bic a half pint with black hair?" Vinnie hollered through the open door.

"Yes!!" The voice shouted back, footsteps pounding down stairs and up to the door. A young Asian man in a faded blue mechanic jumpsuit panted as he came outside, lifting his arms to take the child from Throttle. The boy smiled brightly as he went to the man's arms, "'Tou!"

"Bic, don't scare Daddy like that!" he scolded as he looked the child over for injuries. "You made me really worry. What would have happened if a scary man had you..." His voice trailed off as he had just gotten a look at the biker that had handed him his child. "How far did he get?"

"Just to the door," Throttle said.

"He's a quick little guy," Vinnie said admiringly.

"Too quick," the man said, eyeing the three. "Can I help you with somethi..." his voice just died away as he looked at Charley. "Oh. Oh my god. Are you who I think you are?"

She gave him a searching look. "Depends on who's asking."

"I saw the dragons hunting, chasing a golden bird," he said.

"But golden birds cannot fly," she said in surprise, raising an eyebrow.

"The dragons still give chase," the man said, a smile spreading across his face. "My god, I can't believe it's you. What an honor! Come in, come in!"

Vinnie and Throttle stared at Charley as she walked through the door. "You guys coming?"

"Explanation?" The leader asked in return.

She gave them a slightly nervous look. "I'll explain inside, okay?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Dudes, two stories later and I still don't own the mice. Damn my luck...

'Tou short for otou, the Japanese word for father.

Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Silva (Modo's Momma) and Auri (Modo's lost wife/mate) are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Shattered, Repaired, Renewed: Brothers

Chapter 2

The little boy giggled madly as he was set down in the garage bay in a small playpen off to the side of the various workbenches and tool boxes scattered about. Charley smiled at the sight as the toddler began to play with some of his toys. "Just like when I was a kid."

"That's right, I had heard that you are a third generation mechanic," the young man said respectfully. "If you have need of anything here, please let me know. Welcome to the High Roller Garage."

"A pleasure to be here," she said politely. "This is Throttle and the loud mouth is Vinnie."

"Hey," the mouse protested. He gave her a dirty look before glancing over at the other mechanic. "So, Suzie, how do you know about Charley-girl? Oww!!" (Throttle had just smacked him in the back of the head.) "What?!"

"My name is Tsu," the Asian mechanic bit out. "T-S-U, Tsu." He calmed after a moment. "Tsu Kawasaki, at your service."

"I'll bet you hate Johnny Cash," she said with a rueful smile.

"Only the one song," he replied. "'A Boy named Sue', what a joke."

"I understand completely. Charlene Davidson, call me Charley," the girl said.

"Oh, I know who you are," he said cheerfully. "One of only five women in 700 years to win the Flyers Tournament since accurate record keeping started."

"The what Tournament?" Throttle asked.

"The Flyers Tournament," Tsu replied. "The most dangerous race on Earth."

"It's not that bad," she said.

"Says one of the winners," Tsu said sarcastically. "The location of the track changes with each year. The course changes length at the whim of the organizers, the most powerful criminals in the entire Underworld. They claim so that no one can study the course or sabotage it to gain an advantage. Whoever reaches the finish line in the most pieces first wins."

"Sounds like my kind of track," Vinnie said with a manic grin.

Throttle raised an eyebrow at the man. "The most pieces?"

"It could get a little rough out there," Charlene said with a shrug.

"A little rough? It's a no-rules war zone! Riders are allowed to pack their own weapons on the track, and are encouraged to take out as much of their competition as they want!"

Charley glanced over to the mice beside her, one of which was getting a twitch in his left eye. "It wasn't that bad, really."

"No, not that bad," Tsu agreed. "That's just the first stretch. Then it gets even better! Snipers are placed all over the field to try and thin out the slower ones, and most of the track is peppered with land mines!"

Vinnie looked ecstatic. "When's the next tournament?! I want in!!"

"Vincent, no. We came here for a reason and racing is not it," Throttle said firmly.

"Aw, man," the white mouse pouted.

"So, what exactly did you think was worth all that trouble, Charley-girl?" Throttle asked.

"A wish," she answered.

"Any wish within the bounds of human ability. You see, the organizers make more money on this race than all the other racing events on this planet combined," Tsu explained. "To get riders to take such insane risks, they have to offer a prize worth dying for. They say John F. Kennedy was assassinated because of one of those wishes."

"And you won," Throttle said with a look at his girl.

She nodded. "I was 17."

"How did you even get into this?"

She looked down, a slight blush on her face. "I won the only public slot in the race."

"You mean you won the qualifier?" Vinnie asked.

"Yes and no. See, all the other riders are issued an invitation by their respective bosses. You know, Japanese yakuza, mafia gangs, drug runners, guys like that. Only one person outside of the Underworld gets invited to race. The winner of the Sutterfeild Tournament. They're crowned as the greatest rider on Earth, and thus get an automatic invitation."

"The Sutterfeild Tournament. The same one that Rimfire won," Vinnie said incredulously. "You won the Sutterfeild and the Flyer?! That's awesome!!"

"Yeah, well, the Sutterfeild winner doesn't exactly get a choice," she said wryly. "To keep the Flyer a secret, any one who gets an invitation and refuses, 'disappears.' And most of the winners never made it past the first stretch of the Flyer, so they 'disappeared' too. A lot of people thought the Sutterfeild trophy was cursed. That's the reason for the code that Tsu used when he met me. Its the code used to be sure you were invited to the Flyer."

Throttle gave her an odd look. "Charley, what did you wish for?"

She gave a small smile. "I'm not allowed to say. I'm sorry, but its part of the rules. If I tell anyone, the Underground has the right to revoke my wish."

"Ah. So how did you know about Charley if it's such a big secret?" Throttle asked, dropping the earlier subject.

The mechanic smiled. "Heard about her when I entered two years ago."

Charlene gave him an appraising look. "You won?"

"Yep. That's how I got out of the Kanto yakuza and got this garage," he said, glancing over to the crib where the little boy, Bic, lay sleeping. "His mother just dropped him off with me, never even told me she was pregnant. I couldn't raise a baby in a yakuza house, so I opted for the Tournament. Even if you don't win, they give you a free out for being brave enough to face near certain death." He smiled. "A new home, a new chance. I don't want him to ever have to worry like I did.

"So might I ask what brings you here? Come to compare jackets?" At the bikers' confused looks, he explained, "The winner gets a little something, like proof they ran the Flyer. Anybody who's got one of those jackets has automatic immunity and safety in any Boss's territory, out of respect. They earned it. Mine's upstairs. Your lady's currently wearing hers."

The two mice glanced back over at Charley with a new respect as they eyed the red butterfly of her black leather jacket. "Never knew you were such a bad mf, Charley-girl," Vinnie said admiringly.

"I've been telling you guys for years," she said in exasperation. "Tsu, we heard that some friends of ours stopped by here after the Sutterfeild. Have you seen them? Three, um, unusual kids with some tripped out bikes."

Tsu paused a moment, eying the three of them. "How unusual?"

Throttle pulled off his helmet.

"Oh, wow," the man breathed. "Is Mars starting a colony or something?"

"Might have to someday," Vinnie said flippantly, "but we're working on it not getting that bad."

"Vinnie," Throttle said with a shake of his head. "You know we're Martians, so I take it you've met Rimfire?"

"Rimfire, Thrash, and Link," Tsu said proudly. "Nice kids, but a shock to the system if you know what I mean."

"Are they okay?" Throttle asked. "We're here to get them home."

"Last I saw, they were a bit banged up but fine. Well, I've got their bikes, according to the boys they were trashed when they got them," the man explained.

"Trashed?" Charley frowned. "How bad?"

"I've never seen one working, so I have no idea how to go about fixing them, the fine-tuning stuff. But I can take care of everything else."

Charley smiled, "And I can teach you everything else about the fine tuning."

"You know how they work?" Tsu asked in excitement.

"I know how to make them go _faster_," she said with a devious grin.

"Master! Sensei!!" He cried, going to one knee before her. "Teach me thy ways!"

"'Tou?" A sleepy voice called.

"Sorry, Bic," Tsu said sheepishly. "Go back to sleep."

"Okies." The boy turned back over, popping his thumb in his mouth as he slept.

Charley smiled. "I always wanted to teach an apprenticeship."

"I'm at your disposal," Tsu said proudly. "I'll call Chloe and let her know you're coming over."

"Chloe?" Vinnie perked up at that. "Who's she?"

"The lead singer of Project M. They were the band playing at the Sutterfeild. Man, did you see that save Rimfire did? It was killer."

The three glanced at each other. "No, didn't get to see it."

"Seriously? Ask Chloe to tell you about it," he said with a smile. "It embarrasses the daylights out of her, but its worth it. That's why they got the Martians off the stage so fast, their way of repaying the favor. The girls took them all to Chloe's house. She knows me, so they stopped off and left their bikes with me to get fixed. But I'm in the middle of Bikers' Row here," he gestured outside, "so it wasn't safe for them to stay here."

"We appreciate all your help," Throttle said, reaching out to shake Tsu's hand.

"It's nothing," the man said as he walked with them to the door. "For the chance to work on bikes like those, I'd run the Flyer again."

&

Introductions had been made and a phone call was sent out. Chloe had called back with the all clear and an invitation to her house. Charley stayed behind with Tsu to help finish the bikes in case they were needed as the mice rolled out. Throttle had kissed Charley in full view of the bikers outside before they left, the crowd hooting and whistling as they finally broke apart. The girl had been too dazed to do much else but wave goodbye as they drove off.

"You know she'll get you back for that and not in the good way," Silva said over the private com unit.

"For kissing her goodbye? What's the matter with that?" Throttle asked.

"You should have kissed her longer; I don't think they saw you do it from deep space. She's not stupid, Throttle. And I hadn't thought you were either. She's not about to up and move to Vegas for the dating scene."

"It's not that."

"Then why the possessive streak?"

He didn't answer for a while, to the point that Silva thought he wouldn't answer her. "I'm not human. I can't give her the things a human could. I don't have anything to offer her, 'cept a name and a bike. I don't even have a house left on Mars.

"I can't even take my helmet off when we go on dates unless its  
someplace we won't be seen. He could give her all of that. He even knew stuff about her that I didn't. I didn't know she was a legend on Earth. She never told me."

Silva sighed quietly. "Throttle, I might not know her very well, but I know she's not the kind of girl to play games. If she didn't' want to be with you, she would tell you outright. And you should know, she has her worries about you too."

"Huh? Why?"

The older mouse chuckled. "According to her, if you really wanted to, you could probably have half the female population of Chicago eating out of your hand."

"You're joking."

"Not at all. From what I've heard, not just from Charley, but from Andy as well, most of the city knows you three aren't human. And almost all of them don't care. A good many girls think you three are pretty cute."

"Oh." Throttle mentally shook his head in exasperation. They were supposed to be keeping a low profile, not be ready to go on public access channels for the Dating Game. "I guess we're not exactly subtle about things."

Silva laughed. "None of you three would know subtle if it up and knotted your tails. But don't try to change the subject, young man." He gave a guilty twitch. "I'm sure there are things that you haven't told her about your past. You both strike me as very private people. You have your reasons for not talking about certain things, and I'm sure she has hers. Maybe she was embarrassed about all the attention."

He nodded at that. Charley, for all her genius and pride in her mechanical creations, could be extremely shy about her own accomplishments. "Makes sense."

"As for the rest, Throttle-dear, you need to have faith in her. She loves you, not some other mechanic she just met today. She did just meet him today, right?"

"Yeah, just now."

"Then why worry?" The tan mouse found a smile as he considered her point. Charley wasn't some tease, and if her thing with Vinnie had been any indicator, she didn't take well to casual flirting. And if she someday wanted more than he had right now, he would find a way to give her what she needed. "Thanks, Silva."

She smiled. "Any time, dear."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Dudes, two stories later and I still don't own the mice. Damn my luck...

Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Silva (Modo's Momma) and Auri (Modo's lost wife/mate) are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Chapter 3

They drove to the outskirts of the city, one of the more posh neighborhoods of Las Vegas spreading out before them. "Guess this Chloe girl must be loaded," Vinnie said as he looked around at the manicured lawns and lavish houses. "What's she doing in a rock band?"

"Ten bucks says its teenage rebellion," Modo said. He whistled low as they pulled up to one of the biggest houses on the road. "Whoa, Momma. Wonder how much that set her family back."

"I don't want to know," Andy said. "Might as well get this show on the road. Or the driveway as the case turns out to be." He reached out the truck window to push the button for the gates, but a voice from the gate's com made him pull back.

"Go ahead, sirs, your party is expected at the main house. Please pull up to the front steps."

Everyone exchanged glances at that. Even knowing that their friends were waiting for them here, it always made them uneasy when somebody expected them. They pulled up to the steps, the front door opening to a very welcome sight. Rimfire raced down the stairs, a joyful shout as he jumped his relative. "Uncle Modo!!"

"Rimfire! You're okay!" The grey mouse wrestled his nephew a bit, easily tucking him into a headlock. "Kid, you have some serious explaining to do, you know that, right?"

He had grown in the last three years, the 17 year old now reaching 6 feet in height. He had put solid muscle on his young frame, nearly Vinnie's size, but it was obvious that he still had some growing to do. Rimfire still wore his yellow shirt, green army vest, and cargo pants, but now the belt was a twin set of laser gun holsters. It was a sign of his new rank in the Freedom Fighters as a squad leader. "(umph) Yeah, uncle, I know, (gah), you can let go now."

"You sure?" Modo asked. "You know your uncle Throttle isn't very happy with you right now." Throttle gave him a look for emphasis.

"On second thought," the younger mouse said, "I think I'll stay put."

Silva stepped out from the trailer, a huge smile on her face. "What, does that mean no hug for me?"

Rimfire's brown eyes went huge as his uncle let him stand up. "Grandma Silva? You're alive?"

"Very much so, sweetheart," she said, welcoming her grandson to her arms. The teen didn't even bother to hide his tears of joy, far too astonished to care how he looked. The sight of another female coming towards him made Rimfire gasp in shock. Auri smiled as she came forward to embrace her nephew. "Aunt Auri? How--Uncle Modo, how?"

"Long story," Modo said tightly, trying not to cry at the sight of so much of his family reunited. "How 'bout we take this inside?"

"Please do," came a soft voice. A young Asian girl with long black hair smiled politely at them all. She wore a simple black t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans with rips at the knees. Rimfire smiled as they all turned to face the stairs. "Everyone, this is Chloe Hong. She's been putting us up since we crashed the race."

"You mean won the Sutterfeild tournament on live international television," Throttle said in a low voice. Rimfire gave a nervous laugh. "Um, yeah, that too."

"And got invited to the Flier Tournament for a wish," Vinnie said with a grin. "Got anything in mind for that one?"

The younger mouse's jaw dropped. "H-How did you know about _that?!_"

"We'll explain inside," Throttle said. Once everyone was introduced, they headed to one of several living rooms in the mansion. Chloe smiled at their amazed looks at the rich interior. Classic paintings and fine antiques lined the walls, the atmosphere subtly stating the fine tastes and wealth of the household, and the living room had a solid wall of televisions. Two other mice were lounging on one of the couches, turning to face the newcomers. The dark red mouse spoke first. "So Rimfire, this is your clan?"

"Most of it," Rimfire said, turning to the Chicago natives. "Guys, these are my bros, Link and Thrash." Link was a solid black mouse with a long thick braided mane down his back, dressed in dark blue jeans and a denim button up shirt with a leather laser holster on his belt. He was tall but lean, almost wiry in appearance. Green eyes flashed with mischief as he shook their hands, leaning over and kissing Silva and Auri's. (Modo had an almost instant dislike of him.)

Thrash was a dark red short hair, shorter in height than his bros but built solid. His voice was surprisingly deep as he said his hellos, politely greeting everyone. He then went quiet, to the point that Vinnie privately thought he was being snobby. But the young mouse was actually listening intently to what everyone said, observing the action.

The young girl smiled to see her new friends so happy with their guests. "Can I get anyone something to drink? You must be thirsty from your trip."

"I'll help," Rimfire said, walking with her to the main kitchen. "You can't carry everything."

Silva smiled, shaking her head in slight exasperation as she watched the two leave the room. "You know, I think he might just have a crush on her."

"Oh great," Vinnie groused. "All the cute ones get snagged, I swear."

"Vincent Van Wham, she's not even legal!" Andy said in shock.

"Legal? Huh?"

"The legal age of consent in this country is 18 for a minor," the human explained.

"Dammit," the white mouse muttered, dodging a swipe from Modo about his language. "So Rimfire can date her all he likes and I'm too old. Man, so not fair."

"I said the same thing," Link said. "Not to old, but hey, you don't try and steal your bro's girl, claimed or not." He leaned back into the cushions, eyeing the older mice. "So how much trouble are we in?"

"Loads," Vinnie said cheerfully.

"As in, _'we're doing KP duty for a year'_ loads of trouble? Or _'we're going to prison'_ loads of trouble?" Link asked nervously.

Throttle looked like he was honestly considering the last option. "You took your helmets off on internationally broadcast live television. I would chew you out, but I think I'll have to leave that one to Stoker."

"Aw, man"-

"And I know you'd rather have him do it than for me to leave you to General Carbine." Instant silence from Link and a quiet gasp of horror from Thrash.

"How is our beloved leader anyway?" Vinnie asked. "Haven't heard from the old soldier in a while for a check-up on her Up-tightness."

"Vinnie," Throttle rolled his eyes.

Link and Thrash exchanged quick looks before Link leaned over to his bro. "Didn't Throttle and Carbine used to go out?" He whispered. Thrash nodded. "Oh. Um," he adjusted his volume to be heard by everyone, "she's been okay, I guess. Not as bad on the up-tight scale as she used to be."

"Not as bad?" Vinnie gaped in amazement. "Really? I figured after the drama went down, she'd be going Godzilla on everyone."

"Vincent!" Modo exclaimed with a barely concealed worried glance to his tan bro. "Will you drop it already?"

Throttle shook his head at his friends. "Ladies, ladies, we can gossip about this later."

Rimfire and Chloe came back at that moment with several root beer bottles and a few of cola. "Okay, now that everyone's settled, who goes first?" Rimfire asked. He got a nervous look on his face. "And how bad are we gonna get killed?"

"Stoker makes that call, not me," Throttle said, ignoring the look of obvious relief on the younger mouse's face. "I'll go first." He gave a brief summary of everything that had happened recently, from Silva's arrival, to the destruction of the Last Chance, to Charley's rescue of Auri from the Tower. Rimfire's tail was thrashing by the end of the story, and his bros gave him sympathetic looks as he hugged his aunt and grandmother hard. "Praise the goddess you're both safe," he said. He looked to his uncle, "Where is Miss Charley? I want to thank her."

"She's over with at the High Roller Garage helping Tsu Kawasaki with fixing your rides," Throttle said. "I didn't see much of them, but those looked like A.I.'s. Am I right?"

"A.I.'s are bikes that move on their own?" Chloe asked from her spot on the couch's arm.

"Yep," Vinnie said. "They're the best bikes in the universe. They can defend their rider if he's unconscious, drive themselves if your hands are full, record your best tricks, come when you whistle, cool stuff like that."

Her jaw dropped in surprise. "That's awesome! So the bike you saved me on, that was an A.I.?"

Rimfire nodded. "Yeah. They're new bikes--well, kind of. Here, let me explain. We were out scouting that abandoned Plutarkian fortress out by Ducati City, a lot of energy readings were popping out there. Me and the boys rode out and the main gate's defenses came on and started shooting at us"-

"Shot out my bike," Link said mournfully. "A sweet little silver XB."

"_Anyway,_" Rimfire shot a look at his bro, "we took out the tower cannons and Thrash here used his delicate touch with computers to shut down the rest of the base's defenses."

"He's a computer hacker?" Throttle asked in some surprise.

"Hardly," Chloe grumbled. "He took out my laptop with three keystrokes. I have no idea what he programmed in, and neither does the repairman."

The red mouse looked rather embarrassed. "Again, I'm very sorry, Miss Chloe."

"Oh, he's like Modo with electronics. So how big was the explosion?" Vinnie asked gleefully.

"I gave it a 6," Link answered. "It lacked duration and artistic flare, sadly enough."

"I thought it was good," the young leader said consolingly to his red-furred friend. "After we got in, we started exploring. You wouldn't believe all the stuff they left there. Crates of clothes and supplies and art stuff."

"They had some of the original Ford paintings," Thrash said reverently. "I thought they had shipped all of them off-world, but some are still there. Along with Buick, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, and Mercedes."

Chloe and Andy exchanged looks. Martian names: go figure.

"There were loads of medical supplies too," Link added. "But most of those crates were broken into. We found out by who pretty quick. Rats came from _everywhere!_ They'd taken over that whole base a few years ago and have been selling off the medical stuff."

"Especially the pain killers," Rimfire said in complete disgust. "Restarting the drug market all over again."

"Son of a"--Throttle bit off the word he wanted to say. At the humans' confused looks, he explained. "Drug running on Mars has been illegal for centuries, for the same reasons it is here on Earth. But the government managed to almost completely erase it fifty years ago in the Mice population."

"'Bout the only good they ever did in the last fifty years," Modo said grudgingly.

"What happened after the Rats found you?" Silva asked. Auri leaned forward, her attention fixed on her nephew.

"Well, we got stripped of our equipment real quick and they snagged our bikes," Rimfire answered. "They dragged us down to the base's lab and locked us in there. We tested out everywhere we could think of for another way out, and found out that the floor was hollow. We figured it led down to another floor, so it'd be worth a shot getting down there. Link here managed to get some of the junk working in there, and made us a blowtorch so we could crack the floor open."

He raised stricken eyes to Modo. "We jumped down to see if we could get out that way but...there were...there had to be hundreds, maybe even a thousand"--his voice broke. Link patted his friend's arm, not looking too steady himself. Thrash looked like he was about to be sick. "Skeletons," Rimfire got out. "They were piled everywhere down there." He went white around his mouth, "Some of them were so small..."

"We spoke the prayers for them," Thrash said quietly. "It was all we could do."

Silva pressed a hand to her mouth in horror, Auri pulling Modo close and lacing her fingers through his. Throttle's fists clenched in anger and Vinnie's tail coiled in rage. Andy closed his eyes against memories from his war, some twenty years ago. Chloe shifted down from the couch's arm to sit beside Rimfire, so that her arm touched his. He unconsciously wrapped his hand around hers, and she found a smile for him. "That's when you found all the bike parts, right?" She asked softly.

"Yeah," he answered, clearing his throat. "There were dozens of A.I. bikes down there, pretty shredded, but some were still in good enough shape that they only needed basic repairs. We stripped down some of the others and fixed three of them so we could get out of there. We loaded up on the ammo we could find and blasted our way out."

"If only getting out of the rest of the base had been that easy," Thrash muttered.

"Yeah," Link groused. "The Rats blockaded the halls and forced us down to the old spaceship bay. It led right out to a cliff."

"The bikes were in no shape to jump something like that," Rimfire said. "We managed to bottle-neck the port's entrance so that we could take them on one by one, but they started prepping explosives to blast us out."

"Lucky us that Rimfire found a working transporter," Link said. "It was covered in old parts and junk, we first thought it was broke too. But she powered up just fine, and Rimfire punched in the codes, Thrash put a timed grenade in as we went and"-

"We shot straight out in the middle of this huge arena," Rimfire said, blushing red in embarrassment. He glanced over at Throttle. "Did you know that there's only three numbers difference in the codes between downtown Chicago and downtown Las Vegas?"

"You're still going to explain this to Stoker," the tan mouse said.

"Aw, man," the teen groaned.

"I think I want to meet this Stoker," Chloe said with a mischievous smile.

"No," Rimfire said.

"Oh yes."

"No."

She gave him a frown. "Why not?"

"Because he flirts with anything that's got girly parts and a pulse," Link said gleefully. "My Mohawk-ed bro"-

"Its not a Mohawk!"

--"is afraid he'll catch the eye"-

"I was born with this stripe!"

--"of a certain little lady that's been a real doll to us," the black mouse finished. Rimfire flushed red under his fur and launched himself at his bro. They rolled across the floor, wrestling hard. Thrash jumped in to not be left out of the fun, the trio becoming a blur of red, black, and light tan fur. Chloe looked startled, but Silva deftly avoided the tangle of limbs to sit beside the girl and talk with her a bit. "So, Miss Chloe, how did you meet my grandson and his friends?"

'At bike ride?' Auri signed. She frowned to herself, trying again. 'At bike race?' Silva helped translate the question.

"Oh," the human girl flushed a bit in embarrassment. "Well, that's an interesting story. My band, Project M, were invited to play at the Sutterfeild Tournament, it's a huge honor. We get there, start playing, everything's going great. We were set-up on a stage forty feet in the air; the support struts shook a bit whenever the big group of bikes passed. But we were dealing with it, my drummer Ru was actually using it for extra base, and then there's this flash of blue light on the field.

"These wicked looking bikes come from _nowhere_ and start tearing up the track. They're faster than anyone on the field, they make up the laps the others already had and start pulling ahead of everyone like its nothing! Some of the other riders weren't happy about that and tried to box them in. Link kicked one of them out and accidentally sent the guy spinning into the tower. The guy jumped in time to not get hurt, but the bike slammed into the stage supports and exploded.

"I was the farthest out near the edge of the stage." She sighed in self-disgust. "Well, the bike hit, and it jarred us so badly that I stumbled and fell off. I thought I was going to die, but then one of those wicked bikes rides straight for the stage. And rides right up the supports. Literally up the supports, like it was _defying gravity!_

"He reached out and caught me and we kept going up as he sits me behind him. He turns the bike and we do a sideways cartwheel, _in midair!_ He lines up with the supports on the other side of the stage, and as we go back down, he lands on the stage, and helps me off the bike. Without missing a beat, he apologized for the upset and rides right off the platform, back down the struts, and rejoins the race like its nothing."

"Tell 'em what happened next!" Link got out from the hold his bros had him in. "It was--so funny!"

"It was not!" She shouted. The girl tucked her black bangs behind one ear as she fidgeted. "I'm not fond of heights, so after he set me back on stage and left," she blushed, "I fainted. By the time I came to, those three had just finished their final lap while everyone else still had five to go. The whole crowd was going nuts, cameras were flashing everywhere, and then they took off their helmets.

"We saw they weren't human, which explained a lot, and the reporters were just loosing their minds. Human or not, I owed them my life, so I made up a story and got them out of there. We snuck them out of the arena and got them on our bus, the bikes in the back end with our band stuff."

"How did you get them out of there if the reporters were everywhere?" Throttle asked.

Chloe smiled. "It helps when your dad is the main sponsor of the event and owns the arena. He owns a couple casinos on the strip," she explained. "My security staff got us out of there like it was nothing. They're talented that way."

"You have your own security staff?" Vinnie asked incredulously.

"If I get kidnapped, my dad can shell out quite a bit of cash," she said, her voice resigned. "I'm a valuable commodity. So my guards follow me everywhere."

"Okay, that just begs for teenage rebellion," Modo whispered to Silva. The older mouse nodded in agreement.

"And what do your guards think of Martians in the house?" Throttle asked.

Chloe found another smile. "Sir, they're paid for confidentiality."

Vinnie and Modo hit the floor, doubled over with laughter. "You got 'sir'-ed!" Vinnie howled. "You're an old man!"

"Somebody find him a cane!" Modo hooted.

"No, no, no! A walker!" the white mouse called.

Throttle dove on both his bros, fists flying. Rimfire, Link, and Thrash stared from their positions on the floor, scrambling out of the way as the fight rolled in their direction. Thrash quirked an eyebrow at the dueling trio. "They outrank us?"

"Yeah. Isn't that a scary thought?" Rimfire smirked.

"Gives me some hope," Link said with a considering look on his face. "If they can make it, anyone can." The younger mice made it a whole two seconds before laughing. Vinnie got their revenge as his tail swept their feet out from under them and sent them crashing to the floor. Six mice now rolled across the floor, a huge mess of fur and tails and testosterone.

Silva smiled. "Just like when Modo was little. You remember, Auri-dear?" The mute girl nodded fondly, her canines flashing with her smile.

Andy shook his head in mild exasperation. They were heroes, the bravest and strongest men--er, mice--he'd ever known. And right then, he would have sworn they were all ten years old. "So Miss Hong, have the boys been behaving for you?"

Chloe laughed outright. "You're joking, right?"

Silva sighed resignedly. "What did they break?"

"How do four floors of an office building sound?"

The man and two lady mice didn't even flinch. "That sounds about right," Andy said. "Actually, that's a pretty slow day for the older ones, but I suppose the young ones are still getting into the swing of things."

Silva was up and standing over the now cowering fighters. "I do not believe you boys! You know better than to go out and break other people's property!! How could you be so irresponsible?!"

"B-but we didn't even do anything!" Vinnie protested before Modo elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Ow!!"

"Shut up or it'll get worse!" The grey mouse whispered urgently. "Just nod and say you're sorry or you'll really get it."

"Oh, you'll get it alright, but not until I get some answers," Silva said, in the terrifying manner only a mother could do. "Now if anyone has a perfectly reasonable explanation for blowing up four floors of an office building, you just speak up now or forever hold your peace."

&


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Dudes, two stories later and I still don't own the mice. Damn my luck...

Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Silva (Modo's Momma) and Auri (Modo's lost wife/mate) are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Chapter 4

Rimfire, Link, and Thrash exchanged terrified looks. "Um, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey owns the Tower?"

Silva stopped in mid-rant. "The Plutarkian Commander?"

"Yes, ma'am," Link confirmed meekly.

"So you blew up four stories of an office building because it belonged to a Plutarkian?"

"Yes, ma'am," Link said again.

"Oh. Of course, that's an entirely different situation," she agreed. The elder went back onto the couch.

"What are the local stink-fish up to around here?" Throttle asked.

"The usual destruction and double-crossing," Rimfire groused as he helped Link back to his feet. The black mouse promptly fell back to the ground, both his legs asleep from the sleeper hold Modo had had him in. Rimfire sounded uneasy as he continued, "And they've been doing some experiments. They brought a Karbunkle with them."

"Karbunkle?!" Modo stared at his nephew in surprise. "He should still be in Chicago with Limburger."

"Not Benjamin Karbunkle," Thrash corrected. "This is Julius Karbunkle, your Karbunkle's brother."

"Aw man, there's more of him?! What was his mother thinking?!" Vinnie said in disgust.

"Something not good, no doubt," Thrash muttered. He gave a nervous glance to his bro before he spoke again. "When we were in the Tower rescuing the girls"-

"They were kidnapped by Monterrey's goons," Link explained.

"Rotten fish tried to ransom them for us," Rimfire growled. "We went in, busted the goon squad up and got the girls out"-

--"but not without a small souvenir of our stay," Thrash finished. "This Karbunkle was experimenting with cloning."

"Not more clones," Throttle growled.

"Funny _you_should say that," Rimfire said. "The one we found, he's just a kid. If he didn't tell us that they made him a couple weeks ago, I would swear he's about 10 years old. And he looks just like you," the younger mouse said to the tan leader.

"Me?!" Throttle voice rang in shock.

"Yeah, tan fur, same ears, but I don't know if the eyes match or not," Rimfire said.

Throttle frowned, "Brown eyes?"

"Yeah," Chloe agreed. "He's a cutie too. And if I ever see that Monterrey again, I'll scratch his eyes out for what he did to that poor kid."

"What happened?" Modo asked, his eye beginning to glow in anger.

The younger mice exchanged looks. "We found him hiding in the offices on the top floor. Poor kid looked starved, and"--Rimfire's voice went quiet. "He was crying, just saying over and over that the jewels were dead."

"The jewels?" Vinnie cocked his head in confusion.

"Near as we can figure, they were at least his friends," Link answered. "He said they didn't have names, just numbers, and they were the jewels because they were so beautiful."

"Poor child," Silva said compassionately. "Where is he now?"

"Upstairs sleeping," Chloe answered. "I should probably go get him."

"I'll go with you," the grey-furred lady said. They left the room.

"Those rotten slime," Vinnie spat. He faced his tan furred bro. "So what are you gonna do with him?"

Throttle frowned. "What?"

"He's your brother, right?"

"Huh? How are they brothers? He's a clone," Modo asked.

Vinnie looked at both his bros oddly. "When I asked Charley, she said that gettin' cloned is like having an identical twin. They just got born late. A twin's your brother, so this kid is your brother. Ain't he?"

Before Throttle could answer, there was the sound of glass breaking, and a small steel tube went flying across the room spewing out thick smoke. "Smoke bomb! Auri, Andy, get down!" Throttle shouted. The two dove behind the couch as they heard something big crash through the window.

There was a huge flurry of action as the mice went to attack the intruder. The sounds of punches and grunts of pain were the only noise above the hissing of the smoke bomb. Suddenly water began to shoot out from the ceiling, the fire sprinklers turning on as the mansion's fire system activated. Most of the smoke was dispersed by this, and the air began to clear as Chloe and Silva opened the door to the room.

Throttle and Link were going at it full out, while Rimfire and Modo were struggling to keep Thrash down. Vinnie was the only mouse to be fighting the intruder-

It was another white mouse, almost the spitting image of Vincent when he was seventeen, but slimmer with less muscle. The way he was before the mask, the right side of his face unmarred. The mouse was his clone.

"Holy Kusha, we were only gone for five minutes!" The mother said in perfect exasperation as she took in the scene. Everyone froze at her voice, even the new mouse going still in surprise. Vinnie took the opportunity and pinned the mouse down hard, but he began to buck wildly, even trying to bite to get free.

"Big Brother!"

The new white mouse went still. "Wha...what?"

Modo and Rimfire exchanged confused looks. "Big brother?"

From beside Chloe and Silva came the voice of a young boy. "Big Brother! You came!!" A tan mouse child darted forward to stand in front of the two mice. Chloe had gotten him a red t-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting jeans, not really having the right size clothes for a ten year old. Shoes had the same problem, so she gave him a pair of thick socks until they could get him something better. Brown eyes looked right at Vinnie. "What are you doing with my brother?"

"Uh, just saying hi," Vinnie got out. He pulled back from the other mouse, letting the other sit up. Everyone could get a good look at him now. The new mouse had on a loose black long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black cargo pants on. Five belts with multiple pouches were wrapped around his waist and chest. The stranger's mouth dropped open in shock as he saw the small child. "Li...Little Brother? You're alive?"

The small mouse smiled bright. "I knew you'd find me."

"Oh god, Little Brother!!" The white mouse pulled him into a tight embrace. Chloe aww-ed at the display. "I thought they'd killed you! These crazy bikers went through and blew half the building to kingdom come and I couldn't find you anywhere!"

"Hey, we resemble that remark," Link said indignantly.

He ignored the black mouse and pulled back to look at the young mouse, his voice scolding. "I told you to stay put until I came for you! What in the world were you thinking? You went off with people you didn't even know!"

"But--I couldn't stay there! All the humans saw me!" The boy said.

"So you just assumed that all mice are good people?"

"Well--um...they are nice people! They got me out of there and this nice lady," he pointed at Chloe, "gave me these clothes. And they have food! Lots of it!"

The white mouse gave the little mouse a look. "You were lucky, pure and simple. I thought you were smarter than to go off with strangers. That sort of luck doesn't happen twice." The young mouse hung his head at his brother's scolding.

It was so incredibly weird to hear such a tone of responsibility in a voice that was exactly like Vinnie's. Modo stepped forward and laid a hand on the small mouse's shoulder consolingly. "You don't have to be so hard on him. He's had a rough couple of days."

"No kidding," the white mouse said with a sigh as he stood up, not letting go of the smaller mouse's hand. He looked around at the various humans and Martians around the room. And at the shattered glass and busted furniture. "Sorry about the mess."

"Not all your fault," Chloe said. She sighed. "But the maids are going to have a fit."

"Uh-huh," Rimfire agreed as he surveyed the room. "Bros?" Thrash and Link groaned but got to work picking up the worst of furniture as Rimfire set the ones that were still in one piece back in the right spots.

"And just why did you attack us?" Modo asked the mouse.

"You took my brother," he said simply. "Nobody takes my brother away from me."

Silva smiled at the two brothers. "I suppose some introductions are in order, then. I'm Silva, and this is my son Modo and my nephew Rimfire." She gestured to each mouse. "This is Throttle, Vincent, Link, and Thrash. This is my daughter-in-law Auri, my son's wife," she explained at their look of confusion at the term. "This is Andrew Stienhaur"-

"My friends call me Andy," the man said kindly.

--"and this young lady is Miss Chloe, she's been a very gracious host for all of us," the grey mouse finished.

"Nice to meet you," the young boy said politely. "My bar code"-he pulled out his left wrist, tattooed with a small bar code with a series of numbers-"says I'm G3-8721. He calls me Little Brother, and his bar code says he's X4-6382. I call him Big Brother."

Vinnie frowned. "Those aren't your names."

The two mice exchanged looks. "We don't have any other names," the white mouse said.

"Then we'll give you one," he answered firmly. "You are my brother and clan, kin to my kin; you can't walk around without a name."

The other mice gasped in shock. According to Martian custom, Vincent had just claimed the white mouse as his clan. As true family, part of the bond that only clan members shared. Members of a clan knew all of the clan's histories, knew their secrets and sins, of the ancient grudges that had been the reasons for the great Clan Wars of Martian history. No one claimed a person as clan lightly.

The white mouse gaped at him. "Your--brother?"

"A clone is a twin, a twin is a brother. You're my clone, so you're my twin brother," Vincent said. "You just got born late."

The mouse blinked at him. "Um--I don't think I can argue with that sort of logic."

"Don't try," Modo laughed.

"You got a name in mind?" Vinnie asked.

The clone looked a little lost. "I-I never thought about it. I never thought I'd get free to use one."

Vincent was shocked at that. The other mouse had only thought of his brother, to the point that he was willing to let himself get killed if it meant his little brother would survive. _Yep, Dad would have liked him. And Mom would have definitely liked him._ "How about Rev?" Vinnie suggested.

"Rev?"

"It was my--_our_ father's name," he said in quiet pride.

The white mouse thought a long moment. "Rev sounds good," he answered in a small voice. "I like it."

The little mouse looked up at his brother and smiled in approval before he looked at Vinnie. "Do I get a name too?"

Vinnie blinked in surprise before he glanced over at his tan bro. "Sorry, little guy, it ain't my place to say."

Rev nodded down at his little brother. "Biologic thing, I guess," he said. "The one you're the clone of gives you a name."

"Brother of," Vinnie corrected.

"Whatever," Rev rolled his eyes.

The boy shyly walked over to where Throttle stood. "So what's my name?"

Throttle looked like he would rather be anywhere but there. "Honestly, kid, I wouldn't name you for someone from my clan. None of them I liked enough to wish the name on someone else."

The boy looked down in disappointment, his ears drooping.

The tan mouse scrambled to come up with something. "Uh--is there any that you like?"

He thought a second. "Pretzel."

"Pretzel?!"

"God bless it, kid," Rev said in exasperation. "You cannot get named after your favorite food!"

"Not the food! For twisting," the boy said.

Andy cocked his head in confusion. "Twisting?"

"Like this," the boy flipped onto his hands and slowly curled his legs back and down so that the tips of his toes touched the ground beside his hands.

"Merciful goddess," Silva breathed. Auri's jaw dropped in shock.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Link asked, his eyes wide as saucers.

"Nope," the boy said cheerfully.

Throttle's specks dropped down to the end of his nose. "How about we call you Bend?"

The boy flipped back onto his feet. "Bend? I like it!"

&

Charley sat back on her knees with a satisfied smile. "Mission accomplished."

"Sugoi," Tsu said wearily. "I've never seen tech like this before. Its advanced, but its so simple once you get the main principles down."

"Yeah, got to love Martian designers," the girl said. "Now let's turn these ladies back on."

The three bikes were a little haphazard in appearance, like some of the parts didn't quite match up, but some sanding and modifications had taken care of that. The first bike, (that looked like a large version of a Harley Davidson Classic Indian), was cherry red with yellow accents. Of the three, it was the only one with real flight capability, the wings longer and the thrusters still intact. The second was a deep hunter green, the design similar to a road cruiser, and it was heavily armed with multiple laser cannons from the sides where the tailpipes normally were. The third was black and slim, built smaller than the other three. She suspected it was originally a civilian bike. The guns were almost pistol grade they were so light. But the engine was one of the fastest she had ever seen, definitely custom. It was easily up there with Vinnie's bike, maybe even passed it.

The engines turned over with a happy purr, the bikes revving as they took in their surroundings. The sound of a child laughing made the bikes turn their front wheels toward the playpen, the green bike popping out its lasers. Tsu slowly moved to get between the bike and his son, to not spook it.

"Oh stop that," Charley scolded the bike, tapping its front light with a wrench. "Now you're just showing off." The bike beeped meekly and put its guns away.

The man let out a slow breath as he picked up the child. "When you said they were sentient, I honestly thought you meant like radio control of some kind. But that's incredible. They understand speech?"

"And a lot of other things," she said proudly. She stroked the red and yellow cruiser that she suspected was Rimfire's. "They can learn and store data for decades, even drive themselves and adapt to battle situations. Modo's ride, the purple Fat-boy style bike, it's over a hundred years old. Lil' Hoss can problem solve at the third grade level."

"You're joking. My god, that's incredible," he said again, shifting the toddler on his hip. "Human tech is so far behind that; I'm surprised that our parts work on them."

"It's the programming and parts of the motherboards that are advanced," she replied. "All the rest is still pretty basic. A few modifications and you're up to speed." She wiped a cloth over the green bike's crank case, cleaning a streak of oil away. "I want one of these so bad."

"So do I," Tsu sighed in envy. "Lucky mice. Maybe I'll build one and pass it down to you," he gave a quick kiss to his son's cheek. Bic giggled, squirming. "Tickles, 'Tou!"

Charley smiled at the cute picture the father and son made. The image suddenly shifted to Throttle with a little mouse child with his fur and her hair in his arms. She blushed at the image, shaking her head. _Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you? You haven't even moved in together. Kind of can't with the garage blown up, and Auri moved in at the Scoreboard._

The two girls had gotten to know each other on the trip, learning sign language together and laughing at their mistakes. Auri had confirmed that she would not leave her mate no matter what the situation on Earth, and that she knew he would never abandon his bros. The hybrid already had plans for some remodeling she wanted to do at the Scoreboard. Charley mentally smirked at the mental image of Modo and Vinnie being dragged all over Chicago with bags filled with girly curtains.

Tsu headed up stairs to but his son to bed, "Say goodnight to Charley, Bic."

"Night-night, Cha-ley," the boy said sleepily.

"Night, Bic," she called. She walked over to the kitchen, intent on a cup of coffee while she waited for the guys to contact her. A sound from the garage bay made her turn around.

&

It took some time, but everyone got settled down and some dinner was brought out. Vinnie shamelessly flirted with the maids that had brought in the trays, making quite a few girls blush. Rev looked surprised at all the attention his brother seemed to thrive in, but whenever one of the girls ran an appreciative eye over him, he blushed hotly. The contrast was startling between the two.

Bend was listening intently to Silva, sitting by her side as she told him stories of Mars before the war. Throttle kept an eye on him, every now and then handing him a new plate when he emptied the other. The kid was still too thin, the proof of his mistreatment clear to see. To Throttle, it was too much of a reminder of the days before Stoker had taken him in. But Bend was still cheerful, still innocent. For that, the tan mouse was grateful.

"Rev, how did you get out of the Tower?" Link asked. "We didn't see you anywhere."

The white mouse looked away. "I'd been planning to get everyone out of the Tower for months, and I finally got the access codes for the cells. Knocked out a few guards, two homemade smoke bombs in the surveillance room, and I slipped Bend out and hid him in the offices. I was in the lower levels looking for..."

Bend paused from munching on a pizza crust, his tail beginning to coil in distress. "The jewels?"

Rev's jaw clenched as he looked down. "I looked everywhere. I searched the entire lab and all the cages. I'm sorry, little brother."

Bend's brown eyes filled with tears, spilling down tan furred cheeks. Silva pulled him up into her lap, embracing him. The boy tucked his face into her shoulder, curling up into a ball. Auri laid a soft hand on his shoulder as they heard him start to cry.

"Who were the jewels?" Andy asked Rev quietly.

"They were our sisters," Rev said quietly. "One white, one tan, one grey."

"Sisters?" Rimfire tensed in shock.

"The jewels were clones, girl clones," Rev said very quietly. "Monterrey ordered clones of you for his own use. That's what we were being trained for. Bend's the only other clone besides the jewels that I found. If he made a clone of you," he looked at Modo, "I never met him. But the jewels were made for Karbunkle."

"For Karbunkle?" Link cocked his head in confusion. "What did he want girl clones for?"

Rev sent him a bitter glance. "Take a wild guess."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Dudes, two stories later and I still don't own the mice. Damn my luck...

Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Silva (Modo's Momma) and Auri (Modo's lost wife/mate) are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Okay, about the military rankings you'll see in this chapter. I based the Martian rankings off American Army rankings, its the only kind I'm familiar with. This is also what I suspect our heros' actual ranks would be, to command the way they do on Mars and the sheer amount of insanity they get away with. Not to mention, they tended to answer to the highest ranking Mice in the Freedom Fighters, being best friends with Carbine and Stoker not withstanding.

More shameless plugging to 'Vagabonds' by Sewer Slider!! It rocks, go read!!

Chapter 5

Auri covered her mouth in horror and Chloe gasped in shock. Modo's eye glowed a livid red as his jaw dropped. "He made them for--for...that?!"

Rev's ears drooped so low they were pressed against the sides of his head. "She would never tell me. My gold jewel, she would never say a word about it. I tried to find them, take them away from all that and I failed." He pulled his legs up and hid his face behind his knees. "I failed them."

Vinnie hesitantly touched his brother's shoulder in an attempt at comfort, a grim set to his mouth as he spoke. "We'll get him. We'll burn Monterrey's Tower to the ground for them and drag that Karbunkle back to Mars for trial."

"Sounds good to me," Rimfire growled.

"Or we can just 'port them in over the Pit of Everlasting Doom directly and be done with it," Link snarled. Thrash nodded in agreement, pounding a fist against his open hand.

Silva closed her eyes in sadness. "Those poor girls." She looked over to Rev. "They had no names?"

"Gold jewel, silver jewel, white jewel," he said. "I couldn't see their numbers through the glass-steel."

She studied him a moment and gave him a small, knowing smile. "You were in love with one of them. The gold jewel?" He pressed his face further into his knees as he nodded. The older mouse reached over and touched his hand. "I don't think she would like to see you like this."

He slowly looked up at her. "Huh?"

"She would want you to be happy with your freedom, wouldn't' she?" Silva said, stroking the back of Bend's head. The child had cried himself to sleep. Rev found a very small smile. "Yeah, she would."

Modo nodded. "Then you do what you think would make her smile, so that when you see her again, she'll be proud." The grey mouse inclined his head toward Vincent. "Your brother told me that."

Several eyebrows lifted at that. Vinnie looked almost embarrassed until he shrugged it off with his usual bluster. "What, a stud mouse can't be a wise guy too?"

Throttle chuckled, "Believe me, Vinnie, we all know what a wise guy you are."

The sudden loud roar of motorcycle engines and the sound of panicked swearing in Japanese tore through the air. It was quickly followed by panicked swearing in English and rapid gun fire. Everyone rushed for the window, Silva wrapping protective arms around Bend. Chloe stared in complete shock at the sight before her. Tsu was holding a screaming Bic, riding Rimfire's bike. They had just jumped the high fence, along with two other bikes that she belatedly recognized as Thrash and Link's, and they were currently being chased by seven giant rock people.

Nine feet tall, four feet wide, and at least three feet thick giant rock people. Completely made of grey and red stone, no faces or eyes, but large mouths that roared around jagged pointed teeth. They had torn through the heavy iron gate and were lumbering at a quick pace after the mechanic and his son, crushing everything they touched with large tree-trunk size limbs. The two fastest made constant swipes at the faster bikes. The other five were being distracted by the security guards gunfire. Several guards were firing M 60's, doing some small damage to each one.

"Rock people?" Chloe said in faint disbelief.

"Rock people," Rimfire nodded matter-of-factly. "Or someone's animating the rocks."

"Looks like another super-villain," Throttle said. "Rev, stick with the girls, Andy, same deal. Bros, mount up! Let's Rock and Ride!"

"_Finally_, some action!" Vinnie crowed. "I was gettin' bored!" He sprinted out of the room to his bike. The rest of the mice weren't far behind, whistling loudly to call their rides. Bend startled awake at their whoops and yells, coming over to the window with Silva to see what was going on.

"I think I should be insulted," Andy muttered. He changed his mind as one of the rock things demolished several statues by turning around. "On second thought, I'll be fine holding the fort."

"Speak for yourself," Rev said, fidgeting. Silva put a calming hand on him, motioning toward Bend, who was wide eyed at all the excitement. He was also clinging to her shirt with a death-grip. The white mouse moved over and took the boy's hand, pulling him up on his hip. Bend wrapped his arms around his brother, never looking away from the rock people and the mice he called friends. "Are they gonna be okay?"

"Oh, don't worry," Silva said cheerfully, backed by Auri's large grin and Andy's thumbs up. "They'll be just fine."

A thin older black man dressed like a gardener on an old American Army bike rode out in the middle of the battle, barking orders to the guards. They obeyed and began concentrating their fire on the rock monsters' legs, groups of three guards working on two of the monsters. The gardener proved he was much stronger than he looked as he pulled out a .50 caliber machine gun with one arm and began to dish out extreme prejudice to give decent cover as the mice reached their revving motorcycles.

"Mr. Williams!" Chloe called in shock.

"Addie?!" Chef Andy said in surprised recognition.

"Addie?" Rev asked.

"Sergeant First Class Ronald Williams, nicknamed Addie. He couldn't stand the name Ronnie," Andy said. "Only guy I know who could life one of those babies with one arm. Served with me in Vietnam. Let me guess," he turned to Chloe, "your chief of security." She nodded, her stunned gaze never leaving the chaos in her front yard.

Throttle, Vinnie, and Modo whistled for their bikes over the noise, the three AI charging to their riders. The three had their blasters out and began firing, barely carving into the rock the things were made from. Link and Thrash had their pistols out as their bikes pulled up, beeping and clicking at their riders. "I've missed you too, baby!" Link called happily. "Who's a pretty baby? Who's my pretty baby?"

_And I thought Uncle Modo was obsessed with his bike._"Leave the mush for later, bro, we got rockers to roll!" Rimfire snapped. The young leader shouted for his bike, helping Tsu and Bic from his ride. "You two okay?"

"Shaken up, but good," Tsu said, Bic clutched tightly in his arms.

"These guys are no light-weights, bros. Modo, bring out the heavy artillery! Vinnie, dazzle 'em!" Throttle called as he switched over to his bike's cannons. Modo let loose with Lil' Hoss's blasters, chunks of rock blowing away with each hit. Vinnie darted in and out of the rock peoples' legs, confusing their enemies with his speed. Two almost crashed into each other.

Rimfire unconsciously nodded in agreement with the tan mouse, and issued orders of his own. "Tsu, head inside, take the right hall all the way down, Miss Hong'll take care of you. Get moving!" the mouse called as the mechanic ran for the doors. "Link, help where you can. Thrash, circle around, use your tow line and go fishing!"

Thrash blinked at him in surprise and grinned hugely. "I like how you think!" The shorthair revved his bike off across the yard. Link eagerly mounted up on his roadster, the large cannons popping out and hammering away at the nearest monster. Thrash moved out to the perimeter and met up with Vinnie, calling out a plan. The white mouse grinned, and both bikes shot out into the fray, drawing one of the monsters out of the pack. They circled it in opposite directions, making it dizzy as it spun trying to follow them. Both mice shot out their grappling lines, digging them into the legs and wrapping the thick ropes around it. It fell to the ground with a roar, shattering to pieces.

"That's right, Humpty goes down!" Vinnie laughed. The two mice high-fived and went off to corral another one.

Addie pulled up beside Throttle, firing several rounds at the nearest creature and forcing it back. "You boys put new meaning to 'friendly fire!' You must be the reinforcements Corporal Rimfire was waiting on."

Throttle raised an eyebrow at the title. "That'd be Buck Sergeant Rimfire, if we had the proper ranking."

"Aw, the boy's a modest one," Addie laughed, as he and the tan mouse brought down their beastie. "And yourself?"

Throttle rolled his eyes. Dating Carbine had taught him the structure of the Martian Army, as much as it embarrassed him to admit it. "Command Sergeant Major Throttle, serving with Buck Sergeants Modo and Vincent."

"Well, sir, good to meet you!" The man said jovially. "Sergeant First Class Ronald Williams, call me Addie." The man pulled out two grenades from his bike's pack, tossing them at another monster.

"More like addle-brained," one of the guards said from his position. "Jeez, boss-man, you gotta toss those things so close?"

"More fun that way. And shut up, Jenkins, or I'll have to toss you for insubordination," the man said cheerfully. Jenkins nodded meekly and started shooting his M 16.

Another monster was brought down by Vinnie and Thrash with a very satisfying crunch as they smashed it into the main wall. "Alright!! Can we rock their world or what?!"

Thrash stared at the white mouse in horror at the ghastly pun. "Could have been worse. You could have said 'that's how you really rock and roll,' or 'one less brick in the wall.'"

"Aw, man, that line would have been so cool!" Vinnie said excitedly.

The last giant finally fell, hitting the ground with a huge crash of breaking rock. The mice cheered with the security guards, slapping each other on the back. Addie shook Throttle's hand. "It seems you all know how to throw a party."

"You're not so bad yourself," the mouse acknowledged.

"I love the smell of busted baddies in the evening!" Modo said happily as he rode up with Rimfire and Link. He suddenly gave an almighty sneeze as bits of dirt from the monsters settled to the ground. "Even if they are dusty."

"Doesn't this call for a party?" Vinnie asked as he rode up with Thrash. "Celebrating the baddest mamajamas in the universe saving the day again!" Several guards laughed as Addie grinned. "Sounds good to me, boys." As they all headed up the steps, he gave a look to Rimfire. "Buck Sergeant Rimfire, eh?"

The young mouse looked away. "Just got promoted, sir."

"No shame on forgetting it, boy, but you best not forget that you earn rank. Be proud of it." The guards went for the kitchen and its many loaded coolers of food. The mice and Addie headed back to the living room to find out what happened, the man hollering for the maids to bring the best stuff in the house. Tsu was being patched up by Chloe and Auri for a black eye and split lip, his ribs taped and a nasty bruise on his shoulder. Bic was sleeping in Silva arms, Rev sitting beside her with Bend in his lap. Addie blinked in surprise at the older man that came forward. "Stienhaur?"

"Williams," Andy said warmly as they shook hands. The two went off to the side to catch up on events, letting the mice talk with Tsu. The man looked up at the Martians. "Pardon my English, but what the **hell** were those things?!"

"The latest super-villain's henchmen," Rimfire said. "Probably hired by Monterrey."

"I'll say this, Suzie, you know interesting people," Vinnie said.

"Link," Tsu said. The black mouse looked over to the mechanic. "Yeah?"

"Would you? You're closest."

Link smiled, using his tail and smacking Vincent on the back of the head. "OWWWW!!"

"Thanks," the Asian said. "Those rock things, they just smashed through the garage. No warning, nothing. I heard Charley shouting downstairs and by the time I got down there with Bic they had torn the garage apart."

Throttle stood in front of the mechanic, his voice unnaturally calm. "Tsu, where's Charley?"

"They took her," he said sadly. "One of those things carried her off. The bikes were all that saved us. Charley shouted something at the bikes and they started shooting at the rocks and the red one nearly knocked me over to get me and Bic out of there. The rest you know."

Throttle took a deep breath and stepped back from the man to get his control back. He knew it would happen; knew some thug would get their hands on her because she helped them fight. But that didn't make it any easier to deal with.

Vinnie frowned. "What did she say?"

Tsu glanced at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The exact words, what did she say?"

"I'm not sure; it was no language I've ever heard before. It sounded like," he shut his eyes to concentrate, "_'Matchfri. Strata. Ip rook strati Rimfire.'_"

Vinnie's jaw dropped. "She used the mechanics override?! I didn't even know she could speak Martian!"

"She can't," Throttle said in surprise. "At least, not that I know of."

"What did she say in Martian?" Chloe asked.

"Matchfri is the word used as the mechanic's override on several models of AI bikes," Vinnie explained. "Its the name of the original designer. Say that word, and the bike will obey every command given to them in the next fifteen seconds. It's used whenever the rider isn't around to test out the bike's response to commands and stuff. The rest of it was her telling the bikes to get to Rimfire."

"If they've got her, than they've taken her to the tower," Rev said.

"Which means we get to go raiding," Modo said grimly.

"I can show you the way down to the labs," Rev said. "We go in, rescue your girl"-

"Play soccer with Karbunkle's head," Vinnie said eagerly.

"Fry us a fish for touching Charley," Throttle growled.

"And this time we bring the Tower down," Rimfire said. "Lock"-

"Stock"-Link added.

"And barrel," Thrash said. "I never did like leaving a job unfinished."

"Destruction, demolition, and general mayhem. I love this job," Vinnie said with his cocky grin. Rev found himself echoing the grin, eager to dish out some pain on those that had caused him and his little bro so much hurt.

Chloe and Tsu stared at them in something like disbelief. "Who _are _these guys?" Tsu asked in awe.

Silva grinned. "Why, they're Biker Mice from Mars. This sort of thing is right up their alley."

"You boys mind two old war dogs riding along?" Addie asked as he walked up to them with Andy beside him. "Steinhaur says he has quite the beauty of a tank he'd like to try out on these rock boys."

Rimfire glanced at Throttle, who nodded. "Those things are nasty, which means their boss is nastier. Sounds like a great excuse to test out those cannons." Addie and Andy lit up like it was Christmas come early. "Silva, you and Auri stay here with Tsu and the kids"-

"Hey!" Chloe said indignantly.

"And Miss Chloe," he said with a wince at her volume.

"I can fight," Bend protested. "I'm little, but I'm fast. And I can shoot."

Rev shook his head. "You are not going out to get shot at."

"But I can fight!"

Throttle stepped up and lifted Bends chin with his hand. "We don't have the weapons to spare for you. Your brother would be worrying the whole time about where you were, and it could get him hurt," he said, not unkindly. "We need someone to stay here and take care of Miss Silva. She was treated real bad by the stink-fish where me and my bros are from, and she's not supposed to be rough-housin' just yet. You make sure she takes it easy, okay?"

Bend nodded. "Alright, but you better take care of our brothers."

Throttle found a smile for the small mouse-child. "I will. Bros, lets Rock and Ride!"


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Dudes, two stories later and I still don't own the mice. Damn my luck...

Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Silva (Modo's Momma) and Auri (Modo's lost wife/mate) are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Chapter 6

Rev had never ridden a motorcycle before, whether as a beginner or with a professional. And now he was on a bike with Vincent Van Wham. Buildings flashed by in a blur of speed, the roar of the bike's engine drowning out all sounds. The poor mouse was holding on for dear life, terrified and excited all at once. He now completely understood why his brother drove so fast!! "Vincent?! Er, Vinnie?!"

"Yeah, bro?"

"This is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me!" He said with an ecstatic grin.

Vinnie laughed outright. "Yep, you're one of my clan, no doubt about it!" He suddenly frowned in thought. "Aw, man, we need to get you a girl, bro."

They were riding in a loose V-formation, Throttle, Vincent, and Modo on the street below. Rimfire was cruising over the rooftops on his flier, while Link and Thrash rode on the sides of the buildings. Andy and Addie brought up the rear with the Mothership. Addie had laughed as they rode down the very public Strip and got barely a second look from the tourists and locals. "Gotta love Vegas," he said with a chortle. "What happens here, stays here!"

Rev sobered quickly as they followed the trail of destruction the rocks had left that headed into downtown Las Vegas. "Hey, I don't mean to sound rude or something, but what's up with Throttle?"

"Huh?"

"That girl you were talking about, Charley, right? She's his girl?"

"Yeah, so?"

"But--She was kidnapped by Monterrey and he's so calm."

"Calm?!" Vinnie glanced over at his new brother in shock. "You think he's calm?! I've never seen him look so pissed! Oh, yeah, you don't know him yet," he said to himself. "Look, Throttle's not what he seems. Lot of people look at him and think he doesn't get mad, with him playin' it cool all the time. And it does take a lot to tick him off. But if someone is stupid enough to make him genuinely angry, you normally never see that person in one piece again.

"That's kinda the reason he keeps so calm. He has to. He almost killed a guy once because the jerk insulted his old girlfriend. See his tail thrashing? That's a bad sign. I give him ten minutes with whoever our new villain is before Throttle lets loose."

"Oh," Rev said quietly. "He's got a bad temper?"

"Only if you really, really try," Vinnie answered. "He's normally pretty cool. But kidnapping Charley-girl is right there at the top of the list of 'Things That Really Piss Throttle Off.' He'll keep it together until we get Charley safe. After that, do yourself a favor and get out of his way."

"Advice noted," Rev said. He glanced at the tan mouse riding a bit ahead of them and winced at the tail that writhed and coiled in agitation. "Is Bend safe with him?"

Vinnie almost slammed on the brakes. "He'd never lay a finger on a kid!"

"Just asking!" Rev said, a touch of anger in his voice. It faded as he spoke, "Besides, I've seen some of that in Bend, too. One time Karbunkle messed with the silver jewel in front of him and I thought he was going berserk. He almost really hurt himself."

Vinnie snorted. "We'll work with the kid. He'll be alright, especially if Throttle has any say in it."

"Look sharp, bros, rumbling ruckus at twelve o'clock!" Rimfire called. Further down the strip were several rock men. The moment they spotted the mice, they began a lumbering charge toward them, several cars being smashed and exploding in the process.

"Fireworks already! Now this is my kind of party!!" Vincent crowed in delight, firing away with his cannons.

"Not for me!" Rev shouted. He pulled out a few of the supplies Addie's troops had given him and lobbed the three frag grenades. They exploded, the pieces of shrapnel sparking against the thick stone and biting deep into the limbs. The monsters roared in fury as the few people still on the street ran for cover. "I like mine with better music," the clone said as Vinnie slid across the ground to get around them. To Vinnie's shock, the bike was dangerously close to flipping.

He frowned as he realized the problem was having too much weight. He didn't mind the near wreck, but he did mind nearly taking his brother into it. "Rev, jump off!"

The younger mouse's eyes went huge, "What?!"

"Modo! Take Rev and get to Monterrey! He's got the firepower to get in, right?!" He called his plan over to Throttle. The tan mouse nodded as he charged up his Nuke Nuks, the powerful blow cracking the leg out from one of the rocks and knocking it to the ground. Throttle called over to Modo to pick up the white mouse, "Get moving, bro! Head for the Tower and check it out! Look for Charley and bust her out of there!"

"You got it!" Modo answered, using his tail to pull the young mouse off his brother's motorcycle. Rev shook his head as he landed in the seat. "I can't believe you guys do this everyday."

"Greatest. Job. Ever," Modo said cheerfully as they raced off into the night, the sound of Link, Thrash, and Rimfire shouting war cries ringing through the air. The Mothership's cannons popped out of the roof of the trailer and began to fire.

&

One-Eyed Jack Monterrey scowled as he looked down from the roof of his Tower. The city of Las Vegas was a Plutarkian's paradise. Greed ruled this city, from the lowest slums of poverty to the high-class VIP rooms of excess. Money was what ran this city, and everyone knew it. The making of money was the only concern of this entire metropolis's culture.

The prices were high, the rewards even more so. A fish could get rich in this city if they played their cards right, and Monterrey was a wily fish indeed. He was at home here as he was on Plutark. He had even thought of raising a few of his hatchlings here. But now there was a problem, a real wrench that threatened all the gears of his lovely conquering machines.

Biker Mice from Mars. Not the famous trio that plagued Limburger, thank currency, but three well trained warriors that threatened to be just as bothersome. They had already made a mockery of his best personnel, and had obliterated four floors of his beloved building. And somehow, he knew they were responsible for the theft of two of his most promising clones. That little project promised such incredible profits, especially since his last showcase of the female clones had garnered such...favorable reactions.

"Karbunkle," he called.

"Yes, your greatness," the stooped scientist replied from his side. He bore a startling resemblance to his younger brother, only his bald skull gleaming in the florescent lights told of his older age. And whereas Boris Karbunkle wore a white lab coat, Julian's was jet black. The better to hide the bloodstains from prying eyes, he'd once explained to his employer.

"How are our latest investments doing?"

"They have been returned to their cages, sir," the man hissed. "They were shivering in fright, wouldn't let go of each other." The two males shared a hearty laugh. "Oh, it was so amusing to hear the little white one raging at us, wasn't it?"

"Certainly," the Plutarkian said with a small smile. "To think the beast thought to try and fight against the highest ranking of the Empire. Martian stubbornness seems to be a genetic trait."

"Now tha' ain't no joke," came another voice. The latest villain hired by Monterrey, Stonewall, stepped further to the edge of the roof. He was seven feet tall, made of a living red stone and built thick. He wore no weapons or armor; his only clothing was a loincloth and WWII Army helmet. "Them thar pig-headed lil' rodents are the most gee-jawed stubborn things in this 're solar system."

"Indeed," Monterrey said. Inwardly, he never ceased to be amazed at how the dumbest, most incompetent sounding morons somehow managed to gather powers that made them valuable mercenaries. And Stonewall had an impressive record. He could barely be hurt by normal means. He was impervious to fire, lasers bounced off his rare stone skin, projectiles barely scratched him. And despite the low IQ, he had taken care of several of the fish's more bothersome opponents. "Be sure you keep those Mice away from my Tower, Stonewall. I want no more repair bills."

"You got it, boss-man," the living stone said. He raised a hand and several more rock monsters tore themselves from the stone buildings and statues around them. They charged off to where the laser fire could be seen from five blocks away. A stone horse from a nearby hotel tore itself from the doors it guarded and stood by the building, and Stonewall jumped from the roof. He fell the one hundred and seventeen floors, shattering on the ground below. Swiftly, the pieces rejoined, forming the red stone general. The creature picked itself up, dusted off its helmet and walked over to the statue. He jumped on the horse's back and dug his heels into its sides, making it scream as it carried them off to the battle.

As the Plutarkian walked back to the door that would take him to the lower levels, he glanced over to his resident mad scientist. "And what of our lady guest? That Charlene Davidson that seems to give Limburger so much trouble. Surely you have some sort of plan for her?"

Julian Karbunkle smiled.

&

Modo weaved through the heavy downtown traffic, easily passing the tourists as their cameras flashed. Neon lights blurred together as they went faster and faster, Rev shouting directions as they went. And when they came to a gridlocked section, the grey mouse used Lil' Hoss's thrusters and launched them along the walls of a nearby building. Rev almost screamed at the drastic shift in gravity, his mad grin of excitement echoing Vinnie's perfectly.

"So how're the defenses? Lots of turret cannons? A big goon squad armed with lasers? Ninja chicken androids?" Modo asked casually.

"Yes to the first two, no to the third," Rev said without thinking before doing a double take. "Have you really fought against ninja chicken androids?!"

"Not yet, but sometime or another, we probably will," Modo said cheerfully. "Its one of the few things we haven't checked off the list of stuff we've had to fight."

Rev looked at him oddly. "What else has been checked off the list?"

The grey mouse laughed outright at that. "How much time do you have?"

The appearance of Monterrey's Tower loomed like a heavy shower, cutting their banter short as they rode closer. Rev never took his angry glare away from it as he spoke, "There are two labs that Karbunkle uses. The one near the top floor is where he keeps his computers and non-biological experiments. The lower one is in the basement, three floors filled with cages."

"Which one do you think they'd put Charley-girl in?" Modo asked, worry clear in his voice.

"Vinnie said she's a genius, so I'd think they'd put her in the top lab," Rev replied. "But if she's the bad MF Vinnie says she is, I wouldn't want to take chances. I'd have her locked up tight in the lower cells. Honestly, I'm not sure how they'd do it; I don't know Karbunkle or Monterrey well enough to say."

Modo frowned. "Not good. Oh well, as my grey-furred Momma would always say, 'When in doubt, start from the top.'" Just as he finished speaking, the cannons of the Tower began to open fire. Dark red lasers carved deep gouges in the pavement as they chased the purple bike.

Rev growled deep in his throat as he suddenly jumped up, wrapping his tail around the metal pipe-back and standing up in the seat. "You like to pick on mice?!" He shouted. "Then try this out!" He pulled out five frag grenades, eagerly pulling out the pins and both arms throwing them up to the cannons in a criss-cross pattern. They exploded with concussive force, the shrapnel pieces biting into the cannon bases and barrels. Three of the Tower's eight cannons fell from their mounts.

"Yeah!!" Modo whooped as the molten cannons crashed to the ground below. "Brining down the house! You're gonna fit right in, Rev!"

Rev smiled grimly as they weaved around the laser fire of the other turrets.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey all! Shameless plugging this chapter goes to Sewer Slider's series, 'Vagabonds' parts 1 through 3. Go read, you'll love it! And if you would love to die laughing, go check out 'Infidelity', by Intrepidwarriors. Oh, I laughed so hard...

Disclaimer: Dudes, two stories later and I still don't own the mice. Damn my luck... Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Everyone else are my toys, if you wish to borrow, please ask politely.

Chapter 7

Throttle narrowed his eyes as he shot out the legs of another rock soldier. It shattered on the ground behind him as his bike roared through the street. A statue of Ceasar with a stone broadsword charged him, swiping the deadly blade down to chop off his head. The mouse dodged, twisting in the seat and shooting out the stone knees to send it crashing down with the others. Another statue came to life and went towards him, leading the mouse to growl out, "How many statues does this city have?!"

"Too many!" Rimfire shouted as he shot down a rock soldier from where he hovered thrity feet in the air. Dozens of piles of rubble lined the street, proof of the mice's hard work. But they just kept coming: for every pile of stone they took out, two more showed up a moment later. The young leader threw down a few grenades, courtesy of Addie's troops, and blew another statue away. "And we're right next to the casinos! All of them have statues!!"

"Wonderful," Thrash snapped as he and Vinnie's driving confused a stone dragon so badly it smashed its own tail. The statue looked incredibly shocked before it crumbled to dust. "And the casinos are all over the city!"

"Well, look on the bright side!" Link called cheerfully.

"What bright side?!" Rimfire shouted.

"I was kinda hoping you could tell me that, bro!" The black mouse called, shouting a war-whoop as his larger cannons took out two rock soldiers at once. "At least we're blowing them up now that we know where to shoot!"

"It'd be better if we could take out whoever's controlling them in the first place," Throttle growled. A sudden grinding, crashing noise sounded as more stones tore themselves from the buildings, the asphalt of the road shearing off and forming new cannon fodder--

_Wait. Cannon fodder?_ "That's it!"

"What's it?!" Vinnie asked.

"Targets!!" Throttle shouted over the sounds of rock shattering and explosions. "That's all these guys are! They're here to wear us down so that when the real villain shows up, we'll be out of ammo!!"

_"Kuta!"_ Link swore in Martian as he saw the tan mouse's point. "Our pistols can't hold a charge much longer! Even my bike's cannons are running low!!"

"He's right!" Thrash called. "Mine's already dead!"

"Look out!!" Vinne shouted, shooting out a grappling line and yanking the smaller bike out of the way of a blow from a giant Statue of Liberty. He tossed the red mouse one of his spare pistols. "Might not do much, but it'll get them off you," he said. "Herd 'em to me, I'll take them out!"

Thrash nodded, riding out in a large circle to force the monsters inside the street. He kept it up, shouting and calling to get them angry enough to ignore the white mouse getting out his deadly flares behind them. Vinnie shot a glancing blow off the shoulder of a rock soldier. "Hey, big and ugly!" The rock monster turned with a glare at the mouse, its eyes widening as it saw the white hot flame. "Hope you like it hot," the mouse said gleefully as he set off five of his flares, tossing them into the middle of the furious rocks.

They roared in confusion and anger as the rocks began to melt, trying to get away from each other but Vinnie and Thrash wouldn't let them apart. The rocks fused together, glowing and smoking as they turned into a hideous version of modern art.

Vinnie laughed, "Some people just can't handle my sizzling hot looks."

The red mouse rolled his eyes at the older mouse and smiled as he regarded their work. "Well if you can't take the heat, stay out of the street. I give it an 8. It's no Buick, but it'll do."

"Buick?" Vinnie scoffed. "Please, Mercedes was much better at impressionist art."

Thrash stared at the white mouse in stunned shock.

Vinnie just shook his head at the younger mouse. "Philistine," he muttered in disgust, racing off for their next shoot out. He gave a happy shout as he jumped his bike off a car's hood, leaping into the air and using his bike's momentum to shove a rock soldier into a line of statues, taking them out like a huge set of dominoes. "Now that's how a Biker Mouse has fun!!"

Thrash shook his head in denial. "Nope, couldnt' have heard that," he said to himself. "Couldn't have." He raced off to join Vinnie in the fight.

&

Julian Karbunkle was eerily silent as he walked through the halls of Monterrey's Tower. His steps barely made noise, his coat not even rustling as he moved. It was often thought that he would have made a perfect assassin, but the doctor had always been quick to deny that theory. That line of work required a quick, clean kill, something the scientist found no fun at all.

He reached out a black gloved hand and ran it along the side of the barred cell that housed his pretty little pets. The knockout gas was still in effect on the tan and grey one, but the white mouse was currently huddled against the far side of the wall. "Hello, pretty," the old man said in a low, chilling voice. "Sleep well?"

She raised angry pink eyes to his black goggles, a furious scowl on her face.

"Nothing to say, my pretty? You're not still mad about the auction, are you?"

She had to visibly stop herself from charging at him. She would have, but she knew the cell bars were charged with electricity. That didn't mean she didn't want to.

"I would have sold you to the Plutarkian general, but you're my prototype. Not quite good quality product. A few more copies of your genetics should smooth out any flaws like aggressive behavior and independent will." He smiled to himself at the idea of it. "Perfect little white-furred dolls, blank slates for any male to teach his more...interesting desires. I can't wait to test out the results."

The girl turned green under her fur. "You're sick," she spat.

"Jealous that I'll test them out but not you, pretty pet?"

"I am not your pet!!" she screamed.

"Temper, temper," he scolded. "Remember what happens to bad girls?"

She unconsciously shivered at the memory. That had been pain like nothing she had imagined existed.

"Good pet. Now keep quiet. We have a guest." He motioned the thug behind him to go to the empty cell across the hall from the girl. "Put her in there. Strip her of all her tools and her main clothing. I don't want any surprises from this girl." The guard did as he was ordered, placing the unconscious human into the cell and taking her clothing. The girl only had her underwear left when he was done. The door locked with a heavy click and a hum as the charge activated. "That should hold her. To think, Limburger has so much trouble subduing one measly human.

"Be sure that no one goes in this cell," the scientist ordered the guard. "I don't want anyone taking any chances." He glanced over at the female clones, the other two just starting to stir. "Four little pretties, now. Its a good day."

&

"So is this an everyday thing, or more of a Special Ops deal?" Addie asked his old friend.

"What, this?" Andy asked. "You mean the shooting everything in sight? Or the giant rock people?"

"The latter," the black man said as he aimed the turret cannon on the Mothership's roof. The two humans were currently working crowd control, mostly keeping curious people from getting to close to the action and vice versa.

"Oh, that's more an everyday thing," the chef said in a blaize tone. "Come to Chicago sometime, Ad, you'll think Vegas is boring compared to all that."

"My town? Boring?! Andy, my man, them's fightin' words!" He blasted three statues into dust.

"I'm serious!" Andy said. "With that damn Plutarkian around, Chicago's seen mutants, monsters, catastrophes, and--what's the multiple of Apocalypse?"

Addie raised his eyebrows at the last part. "Whoa. That bad, huh?"

"End of the world as we know it, every freakin' day," the chef said grimly. "This right here is all old hat."

"How does the city handle it?" the sergeant asked. "Haven't they tried gettin' rid of Limburger?"

"Certainly, but legally, their hands are tied. The most they can get him on is tax evasion," Andy groused.

"Al Capone got put away for life on tax evasion," Addie pointed out.

"Al Capone didn't have a Plutarkian lawyer," the chef snapped. "Damn that Provalone."

Addie sighed. "What about the civilians? They trying anything? Or are they playing with their heads in the sand?"

"Actually, they've been really good about all of it," Andy said with a wondering voice. "Everyone knows about them, Ad, from the mayor to the youngest kid on the street. they know Limburger's behind all the crap that goes down, and most of them have been boycotting him. Those that can't afford to do that try to jack up their prices so bad that they bleed him dry. He can't get anything done in Chi-town anymore and you can tell its driving him crazy. But with the Mice pinning him down, he can't get reinforcements and he can't get out."

"Hmm. So anyone been trying to give the Mice grief about it all yet?"

"They tried at the beginning of this whole deal, but they finally wised up," Andy replied. "Now, they've all been trying to find a way to help them. If it weren't for the weapon technology being so far outta the human range, I think we'd already be seeing a huge resistance movement. Human beings amazed me, Ad, and I'm one of them!"

(&

Modo and Rev moved quickly down the corridors of the building. The large group of guards that had been protecting the turret guns had been taken out in less than five minutes as the determined mice made their way into the Tower. Occasionally another squad of laser-toting goons would try to stop them, some would have even given them a half-way decent run for their money. If the mice had been on foot.

Lil' Hoss's engine roared as it peeled down the carpeted halls, blasting open the doors to the elevators. They rode the walls down the shaft, shooting out the elevator car as the guards tried to send it down to crush them. With a proud smile as he observed Rev's fighting style, Modo commented, "Nicely done, with an economical touch for preserving the weaponry. Sure you weren't in the Freedom Fighters?"

"The who?"

"Oh Momma, kid, we have got to teach you some Martian history," the grey mouse said in disapproval. "Floor 57. This the lab?"

"And right below Monterrey's office," Rev nodded. He glanced around as the doors opened. "I've only been here once, don't know much about the defences Karbunkle would have put in."

"If he's anything like his brother, it can't be that bad," Modo said as they walked in. The elevator suddenly crumpled as huge weight, the elevator's pull engine, was sent down on top of it, effectively jamming the shaft and sealing off the floor. "I guess we stay on this floor for a bit then," Modo said with a shrug.

A screaming alarm sounded the second their boots hit the floor, a few flashing lights popping out of the walls. A hissing voice that sounded far too much like Limburger's Karbunkle sounded over the PA system. "**Attention: Intruder in the compound. Initiating protocol number 64. Alarm number 64 activated. You have been warned.**" The screaming sound stopped, but the flashing lights remained.

Modo glance at Rev. "What's protocol #64?"

"I don't know what protocol #64 is, but I know what _alarm_ #64 is," the white mouse said nervously. "He's opening the higher cages."

"That's good! It'll be easier to find Charley if she's already out."

"No, that's bad! Some of the stuff in those cells is caged for a reason!! Most of what's in there is Karbunkle's genetic experiments and alien hybrids."

"Hybrids?"

"Solarian dragon plant with Mettalugri spider-birds. I totally don't know what those are, but I know they aren't good. And that's just the first level of cages. They get worse as you go down."

"Just means I get to train you up on bike maneuvering in combat situations," Modo said with good humor. "You gotta learn to look on the bright side, kiddo."

Rev stared after the grey mouse as they moved to mount up on Lil' Hoss again. "The bright side? I'm strolling through deep enemy territory in a collapsible building with Rambo and heavy artillery." He slowly shook his head in bemusement. "Maybe there is a bright side."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Dudes, two stories later and I still don't own the mice. Damn my luck...  
Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Silva (Modo's Momma) and Auri (Modo's lost wife/mate) are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Chapter 8

Charley stirred slowly, wincing as she felt a stab of pain in the back of her head. She gave a resigned siagh as she remembered the kidnapping (_not another one_), being brought to the main Plutarkian villian (_different one this time_), subsequent gloating (_God, it all sounded so old_), and being dragged down to the holding cell she was in now. (_Not just left tied up in the main lab, that was new. Maybe they were wising up?_) She pulled herself up to sit on the bench she was laying on and glanced down. She stared down at her body in something that was starting to resemble rage. "My clothes are gone," she said blankly. "The bastards took my clothes off?!"

"Be glad that's all they took," a tense voice called from across the hallway of the prison.

The human looked out through the bars of her cell door, startling at what she saw. "You--you're a--"

"A freak? Yeah, we get that all the time," the female said tiredly.

"I was going to say 'you're a Martian Mouse,' " Charley said as she looked the girl over. She was very small and petite, barely past five feet tall. Her fur was solid white, with what looked like tufts of short white hair. Her antennae were a deep red and her eyes a light pink. The mouse looked young, maybe just edging into 16. She was also naked as the day she was born. "They took your clothes too?"

The girl's jaw had dropped at the human's words. "Never had clothes to begin with. You know about Martians?"

"Plutarkians, Sand Raiders, and Martian Rats too," Charley replied. "What part of Mars are you from?"

"I'm not," the mouse said, staring at the human in confused awe. "I'm a clone."

"A clone?" Charely said in surprise. "Of who?"

"Some mouse here on Earth named Vincent."

"Vinnie?! Good lord, he'll have kittens when he finds out about this," the mechanic said to herself in shock.

"You know the guy?"

"Know him? I used to date him!"

"Really? Is he cute?"

"Yeah, if you like the 'macho he-man' thing." She blushed a bit at the young mouse's look. "Okay, okay, the boy is hot, alright?"

A grin spread on the white female's face. "Nice to know I come from good stock. Do the looks run in the bloodline?"

Charley nodded. "You do look a lot like him. Much better looking though. And tell him I said that. Often."

"I'd love to, but I'd need to get out of here," she replied. "And I'm not going anywhere with out my sisters."

Charley made to rest her hand on the bars to lever herself up to get a better look at the prone females--"Don't!! The bars are electrocuted," the mouse explained as the human pulled her hand back.

"Electric current running through them? Hmmm." Charley thought to herself a minute. "Can you wake them up?"

"I think so, the sedative should be wearing off soon, why?"

The mechanic smiled. "I'm getting us out of here, that's why."

"With what?" The mouse asked incredulously. "I saw them strip off all your tools."

"Oh, if they really wanted to take away all my tools," the human shifted a bit as she worked at the lining of her bra, "they really should have taken away my underwire."

&

One-Eyed Jack Monterrey growled as he watched the security monitors of his beloved Tower. Two mice, two measly Martain mice with only one bike had taken out nearly half of his best security staff. Intolerable. He made a mental note to hire competant mercanaries, since these human guards just couldn't seem to cut it. A call to the Scum of the Universe would be in order after this ordeal.

When the alarm was triggered in Karbunkle's lab, his growl grew even louder as he switched his eyepatch to his other eye. This was getting far too messy for his tastes. He hated it when he had an intelligent enemy. "Karbunkle."

"Yes, my lord?" the scientist answered from the shadows, his black coat seeming to absorb any light that might come near him.

Monterrey fought to not startle and show the mad doctor just how unnerving the Plutarkian thought he was. "I believe it is time for us to make our exit, if things are getting so rambunctious this early in the game."

"Indeed, my lord." The villians tapped the large chrome watches they wore, the mini-transporter flashing as it took them away from the building. Seeing Limburger's spectacular failings and the destruction of so many of his Towers ensured that the Las Vegas conqueror would be nowhere near his building when Martain Mice were inside it.

&

An angry buzzing sound came from the bars of the cell as the announcement sounded throughout the lower levels. The metal door actually glowed with the electricty pouring through it. Charley blinked in surprise. "What was that all about?"

The young mouse flinched back further into her cell. "Not good, this is not good."

"What's going on?"

"They're letting the experiments loose," the girl said in a trembling voice. "Even if you could get us out, I'm not going anywhere now. Its safer in here."

"Its safer as a prisoner of a mad scientist and Plutarkian conqueror?" Charley said incredulously.

The white mouse nodded firmly. "Those things are bad news. Think too many mouths, with too many teeth, in all the wrong places. And way, way too many eyes. Again, in all the wrong places."

Charley shuddered at the mental image, but still worked on her door. "I'd still rather get out of here. I've got company coming that will probably be really mad at anything that gets in their way. Gotta love Martian furballs."

"Do they come packing heat?" the girl asked.

"Never leave home without it," the mechanic said cheerfully as she tossed the thin wire at two of the bars. The metal glowed red hot as the electricity coursed through it, creating a circuit loop that began to overload the door's system.

"I'd back up if I were you," Charley warned as she dove for cover under the cot. She spoke not a moment too soon as the door's circuitry blew up, the door popping open. The human smiled as she stepped out in the hallway, glancing around to make sure the coast was clear. She picked up the thin wire and a piece of the metal from her door, hefting it like a bat. "Kiddo, I've faced monsters, Rats, Raiders, Plutarkians with no deoderant, and the Scum of the Universe. A couple of experiments aren't going to stop me now. I'm going home to my boyfriend, and god help anything that gets in my way."

&

Vinnie panted as the stone soldiers finally crashed to the ground. Dammit, where were all these stupid things coming from?! No city had that many statues, did it?! He tried to shoot at another rock creature that lumbered around a street corner and glared at his pistol and then his bike cannons when nothing happened. Out of ammo.

Vincent Van Wham said a very bad word in Martian.

The white mouse dodged the giant arms that tried to knock him from his bike, weaving through the trashed cars and shattered glass. Rimfire fired his bike cannons to try and turn the statue away from Vinnie, but with no effect. A stray shot hit a fire hydrant, knocking the metal loose and sending a huge jet of water into the air.

Rimfire paused in midair as hundreds of gallons of water shot up to the sky. "Uh-oh. My bad! Sorry!"

But the effect it had was staggering. The stone creatures froze in place, several tilting over from their positions and shattering on the ground. Others that had been formed from the broken bits of statues on the ground suddenly began to crumble, the will that animated them suddenly fading and sending them back to pieces on the ground. The more water that struck them, the faster they crumbled.

"Water?" Thrash said incredulously. "Stone being beaten by water?"

"Its scattering the brainwaves that activated them, acting like a mirror," Throttle said in some wonder. "They can't get wet, or they stop working!"

"Now what in the name of tarnation is goin' on here?" a gravely voice boomed out across the sudden silence. The Martians turned to face the villian. He was huge, easily passing Modo's height and weight, made from a brick colored rock. And he was wearing very, very little clothing. Link covering Thrash's eyes from the site. "You're virgin eyes shouldn't see a naked stone guy."

The red mouse swatted his hand away, "Shut up, Link!"

"I'm not naked," the mercenary said indignantly. "Name's Stonewall, and you mice been breakin' up all my boys here. Now who said y'all could go and do somethin' like tha'?"

"I did," Throttle said quietly, his tone making the other mice edge away from him. "Anyone that steals my girl has to pay for it."

"Wha', tha' squishy little thing?" Stonewall said in surprise. "You kiss that dirty mouth a' hers? She called me everythin' under the sun 'cept a stone."

Throttle's proud grin was a little feral as he said, "Good for her." The tan mouse launched into the offensive, the other mice not far behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry this took so long, real life is being a byotch.

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not even my own feet.

Chapter 10

Modo slapped another batch of premade C4 onto a wall as they rode past. The bombs were a gift from Addie, asking that since it was his town, they take the Tower out his way. The mice had agreed as they had never taken out a Plutarkian Tower this way before. They could check another method off the "1001 Ways to Take Out a Tower" list. (Yes, they keep a list. Have to keep track somehow.)

Rev scanned the hallway, tensing at the sound of metal being dragged across metal. "We got company, Modo!"

Lil' Hoss braked to a stop as a huge black snake--thing slithered down the hall, the metallic looking horns dragging along the sides of the hall. Several rows of wicked looking teeth filled its main mouth. And then the other mouths opened, along its sides, its belly, even from where its eyes should be--

Both mice's eyes went huge in shock. "I think a tactical retreat is in order," Rev said softly. Hoss seemed to agree as the bike began rolling backwards, Modo nodding in agreement. The grey mouse paused a moment. "Snakes like noise, right?"

"Huh? How should I know, they never let me watch National Geographic!?"

"Here goes nothing then," Modo muttered as he pulled out his small cd player. He clicked it on, put the speakers on high and tossed it into an open doorway. The giant thing's head followed after the sound, squeezing into the room with some effort. Modo jumped off Lil' Hoss and slammed the door after it, but not before tossing in one of Rev's grenades. The resulting blast took out the door, a rain of chunky purple spewing out after it. Modo glanced in the room and grimaced. "No chance of getting that player back."

Rev frowned in curiousity. "What did you play on it? I mean, why did it follow after it?"

Modo found a smile as he got back on his beloved bike. "I guess everyone like James Bomb theme music." The sound of several more things coming down the hall made his smiled drop. Dozens of heads, mouths, claws, paws, beaks, and spines came around the corner. All of them attatched to one creature. "Uh-oh."

"No kidding," Rev said blankly. He suddenly reached into his shirt, yanking out a dozen of his homemade smoke bombs. "Modo, get ready to blast us a way down and out, I'll get us some cover."

"Dive and Dash number 6? 7 would work better."

"That'd be great if I knew what you were talking about! Now get moving!" He tossed the bombs out, grey and black smoke filling the hall. Lil' Hoss's lasers fired, making a hole in the floor and using its thrusters to lower them down the next several floors. They passed several more creatures and hybrids on the way down, teeth snapping and claws swiping at them. Rev threw a few more smoke bombs at them, switching back to his frag grenades when he ran out.

Modo kept tossing more C4 bombs at the walls as they went down. As Rev handed him another one, the young mouse paused. "Modo, these bombs are on a timer, right?"

"Yeah."

"That you have to activate, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you still have the remote for them, right?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm"--the grey mouse suddenly frowned as Lil' Hoss blasted out more flooring beneath them. He patted down his pockets, a sheepish look coming on his face. "Um, must have tossed it when I threw my cd player. Why?"

Rev fought the urge to strangle him. "Because all the bombs' timers are going!! We've only got seven minutes before this whole place goes up!"

"Better hurry then," the grey mouse said practically.

&

The sound of several explosions echoed through the building. The white girl clone glanced around nervously as she helped her still dizzy sisters down the hallway. "What was that?"

"That would be our ride," Charley said proudly as she held the arm of one of the Jewels. She glanced around at the girls. "I can't believe we could only find the one guard. Where is everyone?"

"Alarm #64," the tan mouse girl said groggily. "It means to evacuate the building. I'm-(yawn)-surprised we even found the one." This clone was Charley's height, with slightly darker hair than her fur tht brushed at her shoulders. Large brown eyes made her seem younger than she was, but the large peice of metal bar she held made a person think twice. The guard they had ambushed had generously donated his clothes while unconscious, and she had his brown button up shirt on. It just barely made it past the indecent parts.

The other clone was as tall as Modo with his grey fur, but long black hair cascaded down her back. Red eyes blinked to try and clear the sleep away from her mind. And while this clone was tall, she was not bulky, but willowy, her limbs long and graceful. The guard's pants covered her lower half and his khaki vest barely stretched out to fit her top.

The white furred clone had snagged his white undershirt and was thankful for her shorter torso as it went down to mid thigh. Charley insisted they keep the clothing, as she still had her bra and underwear.

A loud hissing filled the air as they turned the corner. A green plant-like monster blocked their path, tentacles waving as several beaks snapped in their direction. "Uh-oh."

"No kidding," the tan mouse said as they slowly backed up. Just as the thing lunged to attack, the ceiling caved in with a huge crash, crushing the creatured beneath it. The most beautiful site in the world greeted Charley's eyes.

"Hey, Charley-girl, nice to finally see you aga--Oh, Momma, you're naked!!"

&

The black bike's engine nearly screamed, it was revved so tightly. Its headlights flashed red, the only way it had to express its anger with the stone villain. For as much as her rider loved the human mechanic, so too did the Martian bikes love her. To lose her was not allowed, especially when the Terran was her rider's chosen.

The last reserves of energy drained from the bike's power cells as it blasted deep holes in the villain's chest and tearing off an arm with its cannons. The bike beeped tiredly as smoke came from its lasers. Throttle patted his bike's crankcase, "You did your best. Now its my turn."

The tan mouse dismounted from his ride and primed his Nuk Knuks. He began to walk towards the stone creature even as its arm reformed and the holes filled in on its chest. "Now tha' wasn't very nice," Stonewall said angrily.

"You think that's bad, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" Link shouted, opening fire on the monster. His giant side-cannons went into a full barrage, tearing chunks and limbs off Stonewall. The green bike's cannons began to smoke as well, the power cells dying away as the last shots were fired. The stone screeched in pain as he lost both legs and the same arm Throttle had just taken off. His face twisted into a deranged smile as the stone began to pull back together, rolling back and reforming around the body. It happened all in seconds, barely enough time to watch at all.

But Throttle had seen it. A single glowing purple stone which all the others formed around. "I need a distraction! Blind drive number 8!" he ordered.

"Coming up!" Rimfire shouted as he flew by. He pulled out a round brass-colored ball, "Got a present for you, blockhead! Tell those stinking fish that Stoker sends his regards!" He threw it hard at the general, shouting out the voice command to activate the powerful weapon. "One, two, five!!"

"Three!" Thrash automatically corrected, before he realized what Rimfire had just said. His eyes widened in panic, "Holy Kysha, not that!!"

"Fire in the hole!!" The young buck sergeant screamed.

The explosion rocked the streets, shattering windows and setting off car alarms for blocks. It took several minutes for the dust to settle, and a few more for the dazed mice to recover. Vinnie shook his head hard to clear the ringing out of his ears. It took some effort, but he found Rimfire, who had been blown completely off his bike by the blast. The young mouse had been blown through a display window into some kind of costume shop, tangled in piles of clothing. The white mouse stared at the younger mouse for a full minute. "Not gonna do that again, are ya?"

"Hell no," the dazed mouse replied. "Is that why Stoker called it the Holy Hand Grenade?"

"He called it that because he loves Monty Python," Vincent spat.

"'And that person, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it,'" Thrash quoted as he limped over to them. He blinked to get the dust out of his eyes. "Link?! You alive?!"

A black turned very-dirty-brown mouse (from the sheer amount of dirt and debris clouding the air) slowly staggered into the street to join them. "Did I pass the spelling test, Teacher Coil?"

"Goddess of Mars, the HHG knocked him all the way back to third grade," Rimfire said in wonder.

"If that's all it did, he should count himself lucky," Thrash said. He glanced around. "Has anyone seen Throttle?"

"Wouldn't surprise me ifn' he was blown ta kingdom come with that blast. Yeah, that little do-dad was a certain piece o'work," Stonewall said conversationally. He motioned to his unmoving leg and frowned when it didn't automatically come back to him. He sighed a bit as he pulled his right leg back onto his body. "Now, how about we get down to business"—He suddenly reached up, grabbing his chest. "Wha' tha hell—Where's my—That dirty little rat!!" He screamed. "He stole my heart!!"

Vinnie could not stop himself. "That's no way to talk about your sweetheart," he heckled.

&

"Now that was a sweet little number," Sergt. Williams said admiringly as a small mushroom cloud rose over the street.

"Good sound, excellent radius, most stellar blast concussion," Sergt. Steinhaur agreed. "I give it an eight."

"Speaking of numbers," Addie frowned. "Isn't that the bomb timer for that Modo fella and the new kid?"

Andy checked it over. Only six and a half minutes left. He immediately turned to the radar, looking for Modo's current location. "He's still inside. That's plenty of time for a vet like him."

"But he's got a rookie with him," the other soldier reminded him. "And a hostage with an unknown condition. Girl might need medical help."

"Good point," the chef agreed. "Lets move out. The crowd decided this was too hot a party anyway."

They poured on the speed as the timer ticked down to four minutes and the tracker on Lil'Hoss didn't move from the building. If anything, it was going lower, down into the basement levels. They reached the edge of the Monterrey Tower Plaza, pausing for a moment. "So what do you think?" Addie asked. "Blast the tower off the basement, or go the direct route?"

"You know me," Andy said with a grin. He reached for the turret cannon's controls, a modified Super Nintendo controller. He aimed and fired the huge laser, burning a hole in the concrete and stone below until it formed a tunnel big enough for the Mothership to fit down. "I've always preferred the direct route."

&

Modo was blushing bright red. Good gods, he was seeing his bro's girl practically naked!! "Oh Momma, Throttle's gonna kill me. He's gonna kill me—"

"Its great to see you too, Modo," Charley smiled at the bashful mouse. "And if you don't tell, I won't."

"Okay, he almost squeaked out.

Rev was a bit more occupied. "Jewels?" He said in disbelieving wonder. "Is that—how—I searched everywhere. Everywhere, every cell, every holding field but I couldn't find you. I couldn't find you anywhere."

The tan mouse-girl stepped forward, reaching out with a shaking hand. "White?" she asked softly. She gasped when her hand cupped his cheek. "I can finally touch you. I can"—she flung her arms around him, holding him tight as his arms wrapped around her as well.

"What are we, chopped liver?" The white mouse-girl asked in mock hurt, her grey sister leaning on her shoulder. Rev reached out to the other two, his voice echoing past hurt and sorrow. "I thought all of you were gone, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, girls, oh god"—They hugged him tightly.

"Much as I love happy reunions, we got stuff to do," Charley said firmly. "Like busting out of here."

A huge roar shook the ground they stood on, and rumbling explosions sounded. "You just had to say something," The white she-mouse said.


	10. Chapter 10

Quick definition and grammar upset: Tabia/Tabian female and male forms of the Martian word meaning "clan elder, the oldest, carrier of secrets, one of highest rank in the clan."

Disclaimer: No own, never will, woe is me. Nor anything to do with Fleetwood Mac and the song 'Gold Dust Woman'.

Thank you for your patience.

Chapter 10

Throttle pushed his bike to its limits as more stone creatures began to form around him, hands reaching up, trying to catch him. He leaned into the sharp curves as he streaked around corners, nearly touching the ground with his shoulders he went so fast. His teeth grit in determination as the road itself tore up from the ground, forcing his bike to jump to the sides of buildings.

His tires stained the buildings as he rode, the gargoyles carved on the ledges coming to life and swiping at him. He evaded them all, pouring on the speed. The tan mouse knew his gamble had paid off, and now he knew how to beat the grimy bastard. He shifted a bit as he felt the stone he had taken from Stonewall move against him. Throttle pushed his bike impossibly faster, desperately trying to remember where that huge fountain they had passed earlier was. It had to be around here somewhere, dammit!

The scent of water reached him even through his helmet as he finally found the grand fountain. When he and his bros had first seen it, they had skidded to a complete stop in wonder. Dozens of spouts of water danced and arched around the artificial lake designed to look like a pool of obsidian glass with silver columns. Even now, he still felt in awe of its beauty. It quickly turned to concern as he felt the purple stone start to wriggle in his hold. He found a smirk. _'It knows what I'm doing and it's not happy about it. Good_.'

The Martian jumped from his bike's seat, landing in the water up to his thighs. He reached into his vest to finish the job when a sudden crash made him pause. The stone villain had arrived, distinctly worse for wear. The red stone-man was chipped and cracked, his limbs missing entire pieces and fingers. He dragged himself towards the mouse, more of his stone falling away as he did so. His face contorted in fury as he bit out, "You lil' son of a bitch! How'd you figure it out?!"

Throttle gave the villain a grim smile. "I'm smart like that." He lifted the purple stone above his head as the smile turned to a flat glare. "This is for touching my girl." He ignored the villain's shouts to the rock around him to attack and the mouse threw the stone into the water.

"You bastard!!" Stonewall screamed, tearing off chunks of his shoulders and throwing them with swift accuracy. Throttle dodged, powering up his Nuke Knuks as he moved. The Martian dove under the water and slammed his fist into the purple rock, a screaming sound coming from it and Stonewall as he suddenly crumbled down to nothing but gravel.

He pulled up out of the water, shaking the fluid from his hair. "What happened to rock and rolling all night?" He asked the remains of the villain, a smirk on his face. The sound of motorcycles made him turn. Vinnie had pulled up beside his bike, the younger mice not far behind, concern on his face. "You alright, bro?!"

"Fine," he called back. _At least, I will be as soon as Modo comes back with Charley_, he thought to himself.

Rimfire stared at the water as he saw the purple stone in pieces, the glow dying away. "I don't understand, what happened to Stonewall? The water just broke him apart?"

"Something like that," Throttle said as he pulled himself out of the fountain. He took off his boots and poured the water out of them as he explained. "I saw that every time he reformed, he pulled himself back around that one stone. I figured that was his power source. Get rid of that, and he'd just fall to pieces." (Thrash groaned at the hideous pun.) "I figured if water would dissolve the bonds he used, it would work on him too."

"Good call," Link said, suddenly sneezing as the last of the dust shook out of his fur. "Thrash?"

"Yeah, bro?"

"I knew I forgot to do something." He reached over with his tail and smacked Rimfire upside his head.

"Owww!! What was that for?!" The striped mouse winced.

"An HHG?! You had an HHG and you didn't tell me?!"

Rimfire laughed out loud. "Haha!! Tell the second biggest pyromaniac on Mars I had a Holy Hand Grenade? Yeah right."

Link sat back on his bike seat, pouting. "You're no fun."

"Speaking of fun, just how much is your other bro having?" Thrash asked in concern as he checked his bike's readings. He glanced back to the other mice. "The bomb timer's on."

Vinnie's ears perked up at that. "How much time's left?"

"Less than a minute."

Throttle frowned. "And where's Modo?"

"Looks like the bottom of the Tower, with multiple others with him and what looks like several hostiles."

"Aw, Modo has all the fun!" Vinnie complained.

The other, more sane, mice exchanged looks. Throttle said a very bad word in Martian and sped off, the others hot on his trail.

&

They didn't make it in time. They were still a block away as the building began to collapse, the radar still showing the group inside. Throttle felt his heart stop as the first bricks fell, felt it break as the Tower fully crashed to the ground. The group came to a stop at the edge of the plaza, unable to believe their eyes. Rimfire frantically called on his communicator for his uncle, but only caught static. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening," he muttered in panicked denial over and over. "This isn't happening!"

The tan mouse slid off his bike, walking like he was in a trace towards the rubble. His girl was in there. Oh gods, his girl--He felt like he couldn't breathe. He knew if he took another step his knees would buckle under him. He reached for his communicator, "Charley-girl?" _Answer me, answer me, come on, baby, answer me!_! "Charlene?!"

"Over here, babe," came the soft reply, past clearing dust clouds on the other side of the plaza. Every mouse whirled to the source, calling out happily as they saw the lady mechanic in her traditional clothing standing beside a very dirty and dinged Mothership. She smiled at her mouse, running forward and pulling him close into the tightest embrace she could make. "Missed you, otaku."

He pulled shaking arms up around her, tucking his face into her neck. "Same here, babe," he said in a small voice. _She's alive, thank you gods of all Mars, she's alive_, he thought in utter relief. "How did you get out of there? We saw the timer and you were stuck down in the Tower cells."

"Chef Andy and his friend blew us out of there," she explained. "They used the Mothership's cannons and made a tunnel down to the basement. We all got out right before the bombs went off. It killed all the mutants too."

"Mutants? What mutants"—he stopped as she pressed her hand over his muzzle. "Ask yourself, otaku; do you really want to know?"

Throttle stared at her for a moment, a dozen different thoughts running through his mind before settling on one, sadly true, fact. He ruefully smiled as he shook his head. "Now I know we've been a bad influence on you."

Vinnie smiled at the scene the human and Martian made, ignoring the very small part of him that whispered that that could have been him. _Yeah, and you know exactly how that turned out too, so shut up_, he told it. He chuckled as Modo came out of the battle tank, Chef Andy and that Addie guy right after him. When Rev stepped out to greet his bro and friends, the others gasped as they saw three shy lady mice following after him, the tan mouse-girl holding his hand. _Oh ho, so little bro found his girl? Good for him. Maybe he'll loosen up a bit. He's way too young to be so stressed._ He paused a bit in mild horror at that thought. _Good gods, I'm turning into a worrier! What's next, lace doilies and baking cookies for the kids?_

The sight of the young lady-mouse with white fur and pink eyes made him pause again. _A sister_, he thought in wonder. _Holy gods of Mars, I have a sister!_ He couldn't help a toothy grin. _I have a brother and a sister. I have family again! A real family. Mom would be flipping out about now_. His smile faded, his fists clenching as he remembered the history of his younger brother and what he had told them about the Jewels. "And that won't happen again," he growled quietly to himself. _I won't let those gods' damned fish have them again. _

He blinked in slight surprise at his own thoughts. _I sound like Tabia grand-aunt Aviatrix when the war started._ He blinked again in much greater surprise as he realized something. _Tabia. Elder of the clan. I'm…I'm the only one that's left. I am the clan's elder now. _He tested it out. _Tabian Vincent. What a scary thought._

The other mice were eager to meet the ladies, who were wearing some of Charley's clothing to make up from earlier. The white short hair was merrily shaking hands and even beginning to flirt with Link while the grey-furred girl smiled shyly at Rev's friends. Vincent came over to the smaller girl, introducing himself with none of the usual flair he used around females. The girl smiled as he talked, leaning forward as she listened to her new older brother.

Charley and Throttle ignored it all as they kissed. Sergeant Williams chuckled at the sight of the couple. "Aw. Gotta love a happy ending."

The chef nodded. "Yeah. Warms the heart." He gave a sarcastic look to his friend and proceeded to punch him in the shoulder. "Now quit with the mushy crap, you old softie. We've got troops to move out."

Addie cheerfully punched his old army buddy back. "Shut up, you old codger. And hey, boys! You better be clearing out of here if you don't want the media circus after you!" As he spoke they could all faintly hear the sound of sirens approaching. The boys scrambled for their bikes as the girls went back to the Mothership.

But the tan mouse would have none of that. Throttle pulled Charley up behind him as he restarted his bike. "Ready, darlin'?"

Her eyes widened a moment at the endearment before she gave him a soft smile. "Of course, otaku. I'm with you."

He found a smile in return. "Right." They sped off, heading back to Chloe's mansion to regroup. Sergt. Williams sent out a merry call on his radio to the crew back home. "Incoming, you slouches! Multiple guests with discretion required. And a couple of long-necks wouldn't be amiss either," he added. The security crew answered in the affirmative and let the lady of the house know they were coming. Everythings was soon ready for them.

Several people were nearly asleep from exhaustion when they arrived. Throttle gently used his tail to lift his girl into his arms as he carried her up the stairs. She barely stirred as they went to bed. Rev helped walk the tan mouse-girl into the mansion as Thrash and Modo helped the grey girl, Vincent keeping a eye on Link as he helped escort the young white-furred girl. Silva smiled at the sight of so many coming home safely, quietly giving kisses to her clan members and directions to the rooms they could use. Chloe and Auri helped where they could, getting doors and pulling back sheets. Finally, everyone was settled in for a well deserved nights rest.

&

Even though it was needed, that doesn't mean everyone was sleeping. Rimfire paced the floor of hall outside the room he and his bros shared. The young mouse couldn't sleep, too wound up from his latest mission. A small flame of pride glowed in his chest at not only his hero-uncle's praise for a job well done, but from Throttle as well. He kept replaying the events over in his mind, trying to find places where he and his bros could have done better—

"For the love of Mars, bro, go walk-about somewhere else!" Link hollered through the door. "Some mice are trying to sleep!"

"Sorry, bros," the contrite mouse said, heading down the hall. He got lost in his thoughts once more as he walked, not noticing where his feet were taking him. As soon as he came to a certain door, his tail twitched in recognition. _Chloe's recording studio? How did I_—he paused as he heard the strains of an electric guitar play a slow melody.

He unconsciously relaxed as he listened to the human girl strum the instrument she loved so much. A low voice began to softly sing.

"Rock on, gold dust woman

Take your silver spoon, dig your grave

Heartless challenge

Pick your path and I'll pray

"Wake up in the mornin'

See your sunrise, loves go down

Lousy lovers pick their prey

But they never cry out loud, cry out

"Ooh, did she make you cry, make you break down

Shatter your illusions of love?

And is it over now, do you know how?

Pick up the pieces and go home."

Rimfire wondered, "Why such a sad song?"

Chloe whirled, gasping in surprise, the candy red guitar nearly slipping from her grip. She scrambled to catch it, nearly falling off her stool as she tried to collect her composure.

"I'm sorry," Rimfire said contritely. "I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't even mean to say that out loud."

She gave him a sarcastic look as she gently put her guitar down at her side. "How is it that whenever you surprise me, I almost fall?"

"A Martian talent, I guess," he said.

She smiled, black eyes dancing in laughter. "Then a vastly talented mouse you must be. You caught me at the Tournament, then once on the stairs, and then in the kitchen last night." She frowned a bit to herself in consternation. "I do have to wonder when I started to get so clumsy."

"You're not clumsy," he protested. "Just, um…..coordinationaly challenged."

She laughed out-right. "Clumsy."

He blushed, "Yeah, basically." He blinked under her wondering look. "What is it?"

"You're so calm," she said. "After that huge fight, you're acting like it was just another night on the town. How do you do that?"

He looked away from her, reminded rather forcefully that they came from vastly different backgrounds. "When I was born, Mars had been at war with the Plutarkians for eight years already. I know its not right, I know its anything but normal, but for me? I've never known anything but war."

She mentally winced. He had told her about that when they had first met—god, had that only been four days ago? It seemed much longer. She had never connected to someone like she had to this boy. Could she even call him that after he had lived through so much? He seemed older to her. An old soul, her grandmother would have called him. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Not your fault," he waved it off.

"You're very brave."

"Its just all part of the job, I guess," he shrugged.

She smiled as she walked to his side. "To you, maybe. But I still think so."

He blushed under her gaze. "Ah, Miss Chloe, I"—

She stepped closer, brushing a finger over his mouth to quite him. "You can call me Chloe." His breathing came faster as she leaned up against him, his arms coming up automatically to hold her as she kissed him. His eyes closed as he pulled her close, running his fingers through her soft black hair. She gave a soft whimper as the kiss deepened.

That snapped him out of it. _What are you doing?!_ He thought to himself in shock. He broke the kiss, a soft push enough to send her back from him. He found himself panting, stunned such a small girl could knock him on his tail with a kiss.

"Rimfire?" Came a hurt voice. She touched his arm, not understanding. "Did I do something wrong?"

He closed his eyes against it, unable to look her in the eye. "Oh goddess, no, Chloe, no, I just—this can't work. It can't work between us, babe."

"What do you mean?"

"I"—he did not want to say it, make it real to her and himself—"I have to go back with them, Chloe. I have to go back to Mars."

"But not yet," she said, cupping the side of his face. "We have time, Rimfire."

"To do what? All we have is three more days! The more time we spend together, the more it'll hurt when I leave! Its better this way, Chloe. We stop now and"—

"And what, you coward?"

He froze. "What did you call me?"

"A coward," She bit out. "I see how you are now. You'd rather play it safe. Well, guess what. I don't care if it hurts when you leave, I don't care if I cry for weeks. I'd rather have the time I have with you filled with you, than not have you at all."

He looked her clear in the eyes. "Are you sure? Really sure, Chloe?"

She nodded, not a shred of doubt in her heart. "I'm sure. How does that bit of Shakespeare go? 'Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.'"

The young mouse winced. "Gods, I hate Shakespeare." He found a smile for his girl. "I've been shot at, blown up, and broken out of prison, and I get odds about you. Sorry about that."

She flushed in embarrassment. "Only if you forgive me for calling you a coward."

"Well, it did make your point." He kissed her cheek to show he accepted her apology. Right before he blushed again. "I'm sorry. My grandmother would be washing my mouth out with soap right now."

She blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"You shouldn't kiss a lady until after the third date. Its not right."

Chloe Hong stared in surprise at the Martian mouse. He was completely serious. _And here I thought chivalry was dead_. She smiled at him. "Rimmy, I think she'd understand if we sped things up a bit." He laughed as he pulled her back into his arms for another kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

Go read Noroi's story 'Don't Worry', trust me, it rocks!!

Disclaimer: Dudes, two stories later and I still don't own the mice. Damn my luck...

Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Everyone else are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Chapter 12

Sunlight spilled through the windows of a small guest room in the Hong mansion. Two people were curled around each other in sleep. The Martian began to wake slowly, his holding tightening a bit on the lady in his arms. Throttle stirred with great reluctance, not wanting to wake up just yet. Actually, not for another six or seven hours. His eyes blinked, focusing on his girl. She was still peacefully asleep, her lips slightly parted as she breathed. He couldn't help his smile as she tucked herself closer to his body, unconsciously pulling him closer.

He carefully rose up on one elbow, so as to not disturb her, and let his thoughts wander about just what he was going to do. About her, about the war—about everything. Not for the first time, he regretted ever involving her in this insanity. Granted, he knew her well enough that he had no doubts: she would have figured out what was going on and would have been clamoring to join the fight soon after they first arrived on Earth, with or without their consent. To protect others, to fight the good fight, was simply so much a part of her nature that it could never be denied. Hell, it was one of the reasons why he loved her so much.

For a Martian to love a Terran, now that opened up a whole new can of worms. Ever since their first date, he had wondered what he would do when the war was over. He knew she would never ask him to leave his bros, even though, for her, he would be willing. But he couldn't ask her to leave everything she had ever known to follow him to a dying world, where he had absolutely nothing to offer her. Well, that wasn't quite true. He had a bike, a disgraced name, and a military record. And a prison record. _Oh yes,_ he thought sarcastically, _**prime **__mate material._

And what about children? He would need an heir to rebuild his clan. What if he and Charley couldn't have children? No one had ever researched into whether or not Martians and Terrans could cross-breed. And he did want a child of his own, (_someday about ten years down the line_, he thought nervously to himself.) Unbidden, the image of Charley holding a little mouse child with green eyes and an auburn mane came to mind. He shut his eyes against the sharp stab of longing he felt, shocked at such a strong reaction. _Gods, I've got it bad_. He pushed the thoughts away for now, needing to focus on other things.

Like the situation they were in now. Monterrey would not be happy about Martian interference in his plans. If Limburger was anything to go by, the Plutarkian would be hauling out the big guns soon in retaliation. Which meant super-villains, laser cannons, possible bio-weapons, and a highly defenseless population that would have no idea how to deal with it all. He sighed, frowning to himself. There was no way he and his bros could protect Chicago _**and **_Las Vegas. They would need reinforcements, any that Carbine could spare. He would prefer Rimfire and his crew to stay, but knew that could be very unlikely. Rimfire was one of the best hackers and code-breakers Mars had, and Carbine would be very reluctant to part with someone so valuable.

It would take years to clear Earth of the last Plutarkians with just the three—four of them counting Charley, he amended. Gods above, they needed reinforcements or at the very least some heavier firepower. Charley was brilliant at making anything they needed, but if she didn't have the parts, that was it. And with Mars having only one space-worthy ship, getting parts and supplies would take a miracle to get when they were needed.

All that, on top of the nagging question. What in the world was he supposed to do with Bend and the young mouse-girl that were, according to Vinnie, his brother and sister? He had no idea how to be a brother, let alone a tabian!

He rubbed the bridge of his muzzle, trying to stave off the headache he could feel building. The motion was enough to cause Charley to stir, blinking away sleep to reveal the aqua eyes that fascinated him so much. A thought came to him and he softly said, "Pala um shana." (Good morning to you.)

She smiled, her voice low in sleep as she replied, "Pala um shana, ro jeal." (Good morning to you, my love.)

His eyes went wide in surprise. _Dear gods, Vinnie was right_. "Charley, did you know you just spoke High Common Martian?"

The human girl looked at him oddly for a moment and then laughed. "Yeah, I know."

"But how?" He asked in blank confusion. "Where did you learn it?"

She reached up and lightly brushed against his antennae. "Remember when we first met? You didn't just give me pictures, otaku. I got a healthy dose of the language too, but it took a long time to sort out in my mind. Not to mention," she blushed a bit, "you tend to sleep with your antennae on me, no matter what position we sleep in. Anything I missed in the first wave, you've been supplying while we sleep. I just think of it like sleep-learning."

He looked thoughtful a moment before he smiled, "Good to know."

She trailed her hand down to his cheek. "Something on your mind? You hate waking up early."

He glanced away from her. "It's nothing. Ow!"

She finished pinching his cheek, an eyebrow cocked expectantly. "Try again."

He rubbed the sore spot with a wince. "I know a mouse in the interrogation units that would love to get to know you." He sighed quietly. "I'm worried about Bend and the other girl."

She cocked her head at him. "You don't know what to make of them?"

"Not a freakin' clue," he said in frustration. "I barely know them! I don't know if they're clan or kin, or strangers, or just an experiment by a Karbunkle. I--gods, I can't believe I just said that," he said in some shame. He looked up at her gentle touch, leaning into her palm. "I don't know what to do, Charley-girl."

She pulled him down beside her, curling around his long frame. (He would never admit it, but he couldn't get enough of how she always tried to comfort him, no matter how badly he or his bros had screwed up.) She combed her fingers through his mane as she collected her thoughts. "Throttle?"

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"Do you think they could be friends? Bend and the girl?"

"With each other? I'm pretty sure they are."

"With _you_, babe."

He blinked at that. "I don't see why not. Why?"

She smiled. "My uncle had a saying. 'You're stuck with family. Friends are the family you pick.'"

Throttle thought about that for a bit, a pensive frown on his face. "Is that how human families work? Chef Andy called me 'son' the other night."

"I can't speak for all humanity, but I was taught that anyone that you call precious to you is your family," Charley said in quiet conviction. "How they fit into that family is up to you and them. Chef Andy told me once that you and Modo and Vinnie are so much like his old army buddies its scary. And other times, you act like the kids he used to train. Either way, he sees you as his friend, if a lot younger than him. So he tries to watch over you, the same way Stoker watches over Rimfire. Make sense?"

"Yeah, actually," the tan mouse said quiet thought.

She nuzzled against his shoulder. "One more thing to think about, otaku. It's my own personal philosophy, but here goes. 'Good friends are God's apology for bad relatives.'"

Throttle's eyes went wide at that before he smiled. "I like that philosophy."

"I thought you might," she said, yawning slowly.

"Try and get some more rest," he said, brushing the hair from the side of her cheek as he kissed her. He rested his head against her shoulder as she went back to sleep. "We both need it."

&

It was almost two in the afternoon before everyone woke up. After a rush to the showers to clean up, they all came down to the living room. Chloe had been up for a while already and had ordered a large spread of food to be left out on various tables across the room. She knew the mice would be starving after a battle, if Rimfire and his bros were anything to go by.

The group gathered around the couches, the new girls glancing around nervously at their—originals? What exactly do you call the person you're a clone of? Bend was helping to ease the mood, his joy at seeing his 'sisters' alive and well was contagious. Rev sat by the tan girl, an even more nervous look on his face as the girl had gripped his hand, and the blushing male looked like he had no idea what to do with it. It took everything Vinnie had to not start laughing. (_The poor schmuck. Wouldn't know what to do with a pretty lady if she bit him on the tail. No worries, though, he'll learn. I'll teach him myself!)_

Rev had no idea why, but he felt a cold chill suddenly go down his spine.

Silva was the first one to speak. "I'm glad to see everyone back safely. And Rev, Bend, these are the Jewels you spoke of?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said stiffly, his pink eyes never leaving the face of the girl beside him. He gestured to the white and grey lady mice that sat on the smaller couch to his left. "That's White Jewel and Silver Jewel. This," he nodded to the one beside him, "is Gold Jewel."

The lady mouse blinked in surprise at him. "You call me a gold jewel?" She blushed as a small smile spread on her face.

"I—um—names—I didn't know—I mean"—he blushed so badly it looked like his nose would start bleeding.

"I like it," she said softly.

Bend smiled. "Maybe that could be your name! Hey, other big brother! Oh, hey, Gold Jewel, this is Throttle," he pulled the girl from Rev's side to introduce her to the larger mouse. Charley smiled from her spot on the couch, Throttle sitting on the edge with his arms crossed. He straightened as Bend led her over, reaching out to take the girl's offered hand. "Good to meet you," he said. He gentled his tone as he saw her nervousness. The poor girl's hand was shaking in his. "I'm Throttle, and the pretty lady beside me is Charley Davidson. Rev told me that you and Bend are clones of me."

"Y-yes, sir."

He dropped his head with a resigned sigh as Vinnie and Modo broke out in laughter. "Twice in two days, bro!" Vinnie hooted.

"Man, you're gettin' old," Modo crowed.

"Did I say something wrong?" She asked, her voice going so low he could barely hear her as her ears drooped.

"No, they're just wrench-heads," Throttle said with a glare at his bros. He gave the girl a small smile. "You like the name 'Gold Jewel'?"

She gave a tentative smile in return. "I like it when Rev calls me that. Not that it's not okay when you say it! I just—I don't think it should be my name."

'"Fine by me." He cocked his head at her, thinking. "How about Pacer?"

She frowned a bit. "Pacer?"

He shrugged, "I'm not that good at names. Nex?"

She almost laughed. "No."

"Kela?"

"No."

"D.D."

"What?"

"Stands for Doomsday."

"What?!"

"He's joking," Charley said with a warning in her voice.

"He better be," the girl growled.

"I'll take that as a no," the leader said sadly.

"Its not nice to tease people like that," she said, disgruntled.

He suddenly smiled at the girl, clearly enjoying stringing her along, "How about Voxanne?"

A thoughtful look came on her face. "Voxanne? Voxanne," she tested it out. "What do you think, Bend?"

The little boy smiled. "I like it!"

She turned a bit to look at the other white mouse. "Rev?" she asked softly.

The clone didn't have to think twice. "Its beautiful."

Voxanne turned to face Throttle. "That's my name."

He smiled. "Glad to meet you, Voxanne." He watched as she went back to sit beside Rev, a bit alarmed at just how obvious the attraction was between the two. He leaned back against the couch, brushing against Charley's shoulder. "Should I worry about them?" He asked her, his voice too low to carry any further.

"With how bad he's blushing? I don't think you have anything to worry about for a long while," she smiled. "Getting a bit protective, are we?"

He gave her a look. "You're not helping."

The white girl-mouse glanced over to the young couple, mischief dancing in her eyes. The girl proved that some things were hereditary as she committed what was clearly a lyrical felony. "Rev and Voxanne, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I"—

A white-furred hand clamped over her mouth, Vincent wincing as he mentally prayed that he didn't sound like that. "Okay, first off, opera singer you are not, so never do that again, and second, be nice to your brother."

She pouted at him when he moved his hand away. "You're no fun, bro."

He gave her a crooked smile. "You don't want to see what happens when I have fun, I don't think you'd survive it. You can't even ride a bike yet."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Wait 'til I learn. Bet I'll give you a run for your money."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't, little sis," he said with a soft smile. He flushed red as he remember the audience they had, "W-what?! What are you all staring at?"

"Nothing," Rimfire said, trying to hide his very deep surprise at seeing such a different side to the white biker mouse. Silva, Auri, Modo and Throttle kept their smiles to themselves, and Charley barely restrained her chuckle. She always knew that muscle-head had a much softer side to him; he just wouldn't admit it existed.

The pale lady mouse laughed outright, "Oh bro, you should see your blush! You're just as bad as Rev!"

He gave his 'sister' a mock scowl. "Laugh it up, Chuckles, or I'll name you Petunia."

She almost squeaked in indignation as Bend tried to smother his laughter in Silva's side. Rev didn't bother, laughing long and loud at the look on her face. "You wouldn't."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Try me."

She crossed her arms in a huff, really pouting now as she stuck her tongue out at him. "Meanie."

Vinnie couldn't help his smile at his little sister. "Nah, the mean one around here is sitting next Throttle—Ow!" He failed to dodge the pillow Charley had nailed him with. He sent the mechanic a look as the rest of the room cracked up laughing. He shook his head, muttering about how no one appreciated his obviously developed wit. "No love for a mouse around here, I swear. So, little sis, how about the name Foale?"

She frowned as she thought it over, giving him a searching look. "Rev said you gave him your dad's"—

"_Our_ dad's," he said firmly. "If he's my dad, then he's yours too."

"Oh," she said softly. She wondered for a second if her next question was too personal, but if it was about, well, _her_ dad, than she should know. "You really loved him, didn't you?"

Vinnie went very quiet, unconsciously straightening his spine as he looked away. "He was a great man. It took over twenty stink-fish to take him out when they attacked our hometown." He couldn't help his small flinch as he remembered how that attack had ended in the slaughter of almost every member of his clan. _And the last time I saw him, we had a fight_, he berated himself. _Over me being stupid and not wanting to admit it._ _I can't ever apologize. Cheese, if it weren't for those pictures of Grandpa's, I probably couldn't even remember him clearly. Dad deserves better than that. And I think—I __**know **__Rev can make him proud._ "I couldn't think of a better name for a mouse that acts so much like him."

He froze as he felt frail arms wrap around his shoulders and a tail go around his waist. She had seen his reaction, so at odds with the cheerful mouse she'd met last night. Vincent wrapped his arms in a brief hug, giving a short nod to his brother's worried look. "Enough mushy crap." He refused to look at anyone as he pulled back, the girl letting go and moving back to her seat. "You were saying, sis?"

"I just wanted to know, does Foale have any meaning to it?" She asked.

He grinned. "Grandma Foale, on Mom's side. And before you say anything about old lady names," she shut her mouth with a click of her teeth, "she was the founder of the biker gang that Stoker started from."

"Stoker who?"

"Oh gods, you need history lessons and bad," Vinnie groaned. "It's a cool name, okay?"

She smiled. "I'll take your word for it. Foale it is!"

"Rev, Foale, and Vincent. Sounds good to me," Chloe said in approval. She startled a bit as her cell phone rang, quickly moving to the side of the room to take the call with an apologetic glance to the others.

Modo looked up from his seat where he'd been quietly talking with his mother and the Silver Jewel. He smiled at the shy girl as he spoke, "This little lady here decided that she likes the name Zodia. Rimfire, what do you think?"

The buck sergeant gave the young grey mouse a searching look. She met his gaze with a steadily growing blush, but she never looked away. He seemed to find what he was looking for as he gave a nod of agreement. "A pleasure to meet you, Zodia."

"Thank you," she said in a tiny voice.

A sudden burst of laughter made them turn to Chloe, who grinned outright as she put down her cell phone. "I just got a call for Mr. Williams. He had some of the crew go out and spread the rumor that last night was part of Monterrey's new casino attraction that got out of control, and that all damages should be billed to him."

The rest of the room burst into laughter. "I wish I could see his reaction to that!" Rimfire said.

"Priceless. Not a doubt in my mind," Link said with a large grin.

Thrash smiled at the joke, but then looked pensive as he glanced over at the leader. "Throttle? What happens now? Do we stay here or report back for pick-up to Mars?"

Throttle shook his head as the room went silent. "According to Charley, you have to show up for the Flyer Tournament, or Miss Chloe could get in trouble."

"Chloe? Why?" Rimfire asked in concern.

"They'd probably accuse her of interfering, or of trying to hide you," Charley explained. "To keep her and her family out of trouble, running the Flyer would be the best idea."

"Winning it would also be nice," Silva jibed. Auri nodded from beside her mother-in-law.

"But what about Monterrey?" Rimfire asked. "We can't just leave Las Vegas undefended, they'd be sitting ducks."

"We'll have to talk to Carbine about sending in reinforcements," Throttle answered.

"Ah, who needs ém? We can handle that cheese wheel easy, bro," Vinnie said.

"But not while we're fighting off Limburger too," Throttle pointed out. "We don't have the manpower for it."

"_Kuta_," Link muttered, wincing as Rimfire punched his arm for bad language in front of his grandmother. "What about Rev and his girls? We could train them to fight. Rev can handle himself, and I'll bet he'd have the girls up to speed in no time."

"They'd need better equipment," Modo argued. "Laser weapons at the very least, and some decent bikes."

"Asking them if they want to fight would be a good start, too," Chloe said.

"First things first," Throttle interjected before a fight could start. "We talk to Carbine about getting the three of you reassigned here on a temporary basis, after Rimfire wins the Flyer. In the mean time, we help Tsu with his garage." He looked to Charley, "You said it was trashed?"

"It was pretty bad," she nodded. "Those rock guys did a real number on the place."

"Alright then. We'll head down to the garage and see what needs doing and try to get in touch with Mars later tonight."

Silva nodded as several people got up to grab whatever they needed before going. "A very good idea. Auri will help the girls get set up with clothing, and thank you again, Miss Chloe, for being so generous to us."

"It's nothing," the Asian girl said. "I think I get the better part of the deal though. Do you have any idea how long its been since I got to play dress-up?" She laughed at Voxanne's dismayed look. "Trust me, you'll love it."

Charley smiled at Foale and Zodia, both looking excited at the idea of more new clothes. A touch on her arm had her meeting Silva's eyes. "Dear, could you come with me for a while?"

"Sure, what's up, Silva?" She asked as they walked out of earshot of the rest of the room.

"My clan and I have talked it over earlier today, and we are all in agreement. Even young Zodia is for it," the lady mouse said in a very serious tone, making Charley unconsciously stand at attention. "We have decided to ask you if you would like to join our clan."


	12. Chapter 12

Hey guys! For a more angsty change of pace, go read Noroi's story, 'Don't Worry'. Very interesting with an unexpected twist and very well written.

Disclaimer: Dudes, two stories later and I still don't own the mice. Damn my luck.....

Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Everyone else are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Chapter 12

Charley was very quiet as she helped organize Tsu's tools, absently rearranging them in the many toolboxes. The young man had been incredibly grateful that the Mice came to help him get everything back together and had sprung for a late dinner of chilli dogs, to the soldiers' joy. He was due back at the garage within the hour. There really wasn't much for them to do, though. Most of the structural damage to the roof and main doors was being taken care of within the next few days, so the bros helped with clean-up and repairs to the various clients' autos that were damaged in the crossfire.

Link, who'd drawn the short straw, was watching over Bic in the kitchen to keep him out of trouble. The dark-furred mouse had bragged that he had the easy job: little Bic was determined to prove him wrong. From the sounds coming from the kitchen, the three year old was off to a great start.

Throttle glanced back over at Charlene. It wasn't like her to be so quiet. He knew that she'd talked with Silva for a good fifteen minutes before they had left, and wondered if that was what was on her mind. But what could the lady have said to disturb Charley so badly? He put a damper on his curiosity with some effort. She would tell him in her own time. But he had to admit, those odd looks she was giving Modo and Rimfire were starting to bother him.

Charley's thoughts were whirling, unable to really focus on anything. Silva's offer to join their clan had come completely out of left field.

(Flashback)

"This is not something we offer lightly," she had said. "All of us had to agree to it."

"But…" the Terran had been nearly speechless at her words. She knew from Throttle just how precious being a part of a clan was. It was a bond between family that was strengthened by memories and trust, a telepathic bond that went beyond words. And Martians took their clan loyalties very seriously. "But Silva, why me?"

"Charlene, you've been nothing but loyal and caring to everyone of this clan for as long as we've known you. You have risked your life to help fight a war that you could have just walked away from"—

"Are you joking?! I couldn't turn my back on them when they needed me!"

"And that sort of attitude makes us love you more," the elder lady said affectionately. "You've always been there for them, supporting them any way you could. You've mended their wounds and mine, and fought bravely to help defend us against the Plutarkians. You have been there in the midst of all this chaos and darkness, helping and encouraging us to keep going no matter what." The grey mouse reached out and cupped the mechanic's cheek. "You may not be a Mouse, but you have the heart and soul of one. For that, for everything you've done, we love you, honey-child. And I do believe that you love us, too."

Charley felt her cheeks warm up in a blush at the unexpected praise. "Silva, I….I don't know what to say. I—I mean, what does it mean? Do I have to do something, pass some test?"

"Oh no, honey. We would touch our antennae to your face and share the memories with you, welcoming you into our minds. Modo said that you reacted very well to Throttle's telepathy. I'm hoping we'll be able to reach your mind as he did."

She frowned at that. "Reach my mind? Will you see my memories like I saw his?"

"It should be similar to that. Those of the strongest emotion, the most powerful memories that you have." Silva looked much older than her years for a moment. "So many memories that leave a strong enough impression are sad, or horrifying. This war has left us with much to remember, precious little of it good, so what you see in our minds can be frightening."

Charley gave her a rueful look. "Not all my memories are sunshine and roses either, Silva."

The mouse smiled in return. "No one's are. But we will understand if you decide not to do this."

"Can I think about it for a while?" The girl asked softly.

"By all means," Silva said in understanding, "it's a very big decision. Modo does want to talk to you later on as well. Honey-child," the lady mouse took the human's hands in her own, "I hope that you won't think I'm selfish, when all is said and done about this."

"Selfish?" Charley frowned in confusion. "Silva, I don't understand."

She smiled almost sadly at the girl. "That's what Modo wants to talk to you about. Find him later on tonight, alright honey?"

"Sure," Charley nodded, her mind already going a mile a minute.

(End Flashback)

She'd been preoccupied ever since. _They want to make me part of their family. And they all had to agree to it. So Modo, Rimfire, and Auri all want me in. So is that like adoption? How would that work out? And what did Silva mean, 'selfish?_' She shook her head. _Well, just sitting here wondering won't get me any answers, so there's a mouse I need to talk to._ She finished sorting the last tool box out and walked over to Modo. He almost looked like he had been waiting on her. "Modo, can we talk?"

The grey mouse exchanged looks with Rimfire before looking back to her. "Sure thing, Charley." They walked out the garage doors and around to the backyard for some privacy.

Vinnie cocked an eyebrow at them as they left. "Trouble in paradise, bro?" he asked Throttle.

"Not that I'm aware of," the tan mouse answered. He looked over to Rimfire. "Don't suppose you'd be willing to shed some light on this?"

The young mouse shook his head. "Can't, sorry. It's clan business."

"Clan business?" Thrash said in surprise. "It must be something serious, then."

"Its nothing—bad, really, just something we asked Miss Charley," Rimfire explained. "Uncle Modo's just talking it over with her, that's all. I'm pretty sure they'll be back soon."

*&*&*&*&

Modo sat down on the short grass of Tsu's backyard and leaned his back against the flat wood fence, gesturing Charley to do the same. She sat across from him, nervously tearing up a few blades of grass as she waited for him to speak. "What did Momma tell you?"

Charley quickly summed up what she'd heard. "But I didn't get what she meant by being selfish. Can you tell me?"

Modo glanced away for a second. "Has Throttle told you about the Great Clan Wars?"

She frowned at the off-topic subject. "Yeah, he did. A war between the large and small clans of Mars that spanned most of the planet."

Modo nodded. "No one can remember what started the very first Clan War, but everyone knows the reasons for the others. The memories of those first battles, the betrayals and lies, and all the people that were killed for no reason than out of wanting revenge. Those memories were as strong and clear to the people of the Second Clan War as they were to those of the First War."

"Because you pass down the strongest memories to your children," she said in sudden understanding.

"Exactly," he said, proud of her catching on so quickly. "But that's the main problem with Mice, and most of us are the first to admit it."

"Huh?"

"We hold a grudge," Modo answered. "We can remember the faces of those betrayers as clearly as I see you in front of me. We pass them down through our line for as long as we can."

"You can pass down memories over a thousand years old?" She asked in wonder.

"Sometime even further back," he replied. "We can even recognize the colorings and features in their line, or even those we suspect are their line. So the Clan Wars continued, for nearly a thousand years. It took a long time for anyone to even think of signing treaties to stop all the bloodshed, and even then it left the Mice divided into fourteen clan kingdoms that were always on the brink of war with each other.

"Finally, the Eighth King of Ferrari"—

"Wait, wait," she had to interrupt on that one. "Ferrari?"

"Yeah, you have no idea how hard some mice laughed when humans came out with a car line called that," he chuckled. "Anyway, the Eighth King of Ferrari united more than seven clan kingdoms into one. He's famous for forbidding fighting with other clans without knowing, for an absolute, irrefutable fact, that you were fighting your clan's enemy. But it was his son, the White King, who came up with the idea, and somehow managed, to make all those proud and noble clans stop using their clan names in public."

The mechanic thought for a second. "Davidson is my last name, or rather my 'clan' name. So, to follow the law, no matter where I went on Mars everyone could only call me Charley, even though they'd all know my clan name?"

"That's right," he said.

"And since those clans couldn't say their clan name, no one could prove who they were according to the law, so if they fought they would be automatically breaking the law," Charley smiled. "Clever king.

"" Many have thought so, myself included, Modo said. "Most schools teach that he was probably the greatest king of all time, a lot like your King Arthur. But I'm getting off the main discussion here, sorry Charley."

"No, I like hearing more about Martian history," she said. "But I am curious about how this all ties together with what Silva said."

"Well, here goes. You see, those laws are good and all, but that doesn't change that we still can remember our enemies. Time changes faces and body type, but we can still remember those memories and those names. And they don't get rid of your mind-sense. Your mind-sense is, well—you know how when you first meet people, and someone can just really rub your fur the wrong way? Or you just really like them, and you don't know why?"

"Yeah, I get that all the time," she said. "With almost everyone I meet. Actually, I got that feeling the strongest in my life when I first met you three."

"Really?" Modo said in complete surprise.

"Mm-hmm. Just this weird feeling, like I knew you from somewhere. You still scared the hell out of me when I first saw you, and I don't think anyone could blame me for that," she chuckled, "but afterwards, I knew to trust that feeling."

"Wow," the grey mouse said. "You never told us that."

She shrugged, "You never asked."

"I'll have to tell Momma about that," he said to himself. He shook his head to get it back on track. "Anyway, most of the time, that first impression is dead on. If its someone that you instantly dislike, chances are pretty good they're from an enemy clan. You can still work with them and even overcome that feeling to be—well, alright with them, not friends, but alright.

"And those that give you a good feeling are most likely your allies or even a lost relative down the line. People that don't give you any feeling are rare, but its not unheard of that either the memory of them is just that old or that your clan never had contact with them.

"The problem comes with relationships. You see, most of the time, you don't go out with someone that gives you a bad feeling, since you know that it's probably an enemy. But sometimes, first impressions can be wrong, and people that drive each other nuts one week can be in love the next week. It's when they test out to see if they are enemies or not that's where all the problems start."

"There's a test you can do for that? Then how does the name law protect you at all?"

"Another law," he said resignedly. "This law states that only those two can check to see if they're compatible, or if they have friendly clan histories. They can never reveal the results of that test, although if they get married anyway that's a pretty certain thing that they're clan allies."

"So how does the test work?" she asked.

"They touch antennae and look through some of the other's clan memories," Modo said in a serious voice. "It's called the '_seimdath_', or mind-spin, because that's exactly what its like. They have no control over which memories they see, but they unconsciously will try to find memories about that person's clan. It's a huge trust between two people that mean to spend the rest of their lives together. And it hurts like hell if they find out that they're enemies."

"That would be horrible," Charley said softly. "They always break up?"

He nodded. "Could you sleep beside someone that you think might knife you in the back?"

She whistled low. "That would put a damper on things." She glanced back up at him, a terrible suspicion forming in her mind. "There's more to this though, isn't there?"

He nodded, his face solemn. "If you agree to become part of our clan, we would show you our memories, our secrets. You would carry them with you as a part of you for the rest of your life. And if you stay with Throttle, and someday do the test with him"--

"No"—

"He could prove to be your enemy"—

"NO!! That's not possible! You and him have been friends ever since you met, you said so!"

"But there's always that chance," Modo said painfully. "That one little chance that we both were wrong, and we've been enemies all this time, just so long ago that it was forgotten."

"So that's why Silva said 'selfish'," Charley said in rising bitterness. "I choose all of you, or Throttle." She got up from the grass, Modo reaching to try and touch her arm. She jerked away from him. "No. Just—no. I need to think, alright? Just"—Her throat started to choke up with the urge to either scream or cry, she wasn't sure which. She ran off towards the front of the garage, the sound of a motorcycle revving and peeling out of the parking lot a second later.

Modo slowly stood up, his ears drooping and his tail hung low. Rimfire came back a moment later, his stance matching his uncle's as soon as he saw it. "She said no?"

"She's torn about it," he said morosely. "And I don't blame her. But I got to admit, I'm surprised. I really thought she'd turn us down flat."

"What?!" Rimfire looked at him in shock. "B-but—then why did you still want to offer it if you thought she'd say no?"

"Because," the grey mouse said softly, "I know just how long she's loved Throttle, and there's no way she'd ever leave him. I thought for sure she'd"---

"What have you done?" A new voice cut through the air like a whip. Throttle had caught the last few bits they'd said, and stared at the two startled mice in something like horror, which was quickly being replaced by anger. "What have you done, Modo?"

The grey mouse met his angry bro's gaze with a calm one of his own. "My clan has offered to make Charley one of our own. But bro, I never thought"—

"Obviously," Throttle snapped, his look now one of shock. "You don't know her at all, do you? Do you even understand what you offered her?! She lost all her family, Modo, every last one, her mother, her father, her uncle, all the way down to her best friends! She'd give anything to have something like that back again, and now you've made her choose?!"

Modo was stunned at hearing about her loss. Gods, if he'd had any idea it would be so hard for her---"I didn't know"—

"Don't you think you should have asked?!" He roared. "Three years we've known her and never once heard her talk about any living family?! No visits, no phone calls, nothing! Where did you think they were?!" His fists clenched hard enough for his nails to draw blood from his palms, and the fact that he was seriously debating breaking his bro's jaw made him force himself to calm down. "I'll go talk to her."

"No, I will," Modo said.

"No," Throttle said. And it was a command this time. "I won't try to influence her for either way, I swear it. But I am going to go see my girl." Without another word he stalked out of the yard and got on his bike, almost slamming his helmet on. "Take me home, bike."

It raced off to follow after Charley.

*&*&*&*&*

He found her back at Chloe's mansion, curled up with her back against the headboard of the bed in their room. He tapped the door lightly, suddenly unsure of his welcome. What if she had---"Charley?"

She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "Hey, otaku." She wiped her eyes, trying to get back her composure. "You heard what Modo said?"

He came in the room and sat beside her on the bed. "Only the last part of it. Modo filled in the rest."

She looked away. "I'm sorry you heard any of it."

Throttle reached out and took her hand in his. "Its alright."

She stretched out her legs and moved closer to him, the mouse taking the hint and pulling her into his lap. He wrapped strong arms around her and the girl laid her head on his shoulder. He couldn't stop the negative thoughts from crossing his mind. _What if she says yes? I couldn't blame her for it either. Gods, I've wanted a clan like Modo's my entire life._

_But—gods, I can't loose her. I have no idea how to make it without her anymore._ A muffled sound of renewed crying made him hold her closer, and for his anger at Modo to grow. _I swear to Kysha, I'm dragging that grey-furred moron out and giving him the beating of his life._

Charley pulled herself closer to Throttle, trying to get her mind to calm. But it was one hell of challenge, since her own thoughts had been hard to swallow. For one moment, she had actually considered Silva's offer. To choose them over the man she loved. The human could honestly say that she'd never been more disappointed in herself in her life. But she did want what they offered so badly. A mom that loved her in Silva, a big brother in Modo, a sister in Auri. Even a cute nephew in Rimfire. The idea of it made her heart ache for something like that. _So now I'm the one that's selfish_, she thought in sadness.

The fact that she **had **considered it made her go over a few things in her heart, and question them hard. It had pulled up memories she'd pushed away before, a longing for what she'd lost nearly crushing her. But she pushed through it. She had reached her decision, and would follow it to the end, no matter where it led her.

She glanced up at the bionic eyes behind the mirror-shades. "Throttle?"

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"Is there a polite way of telling them no?"

He didn't dare breathe for a minute, sure he hadn't heard right. "Charley?"

"I'm going to tell them no. Is there a certain way you do that?"

"Are…..are you sure, baby?" He said, his normal composure completely gone. Was she really—did she understand what she was doing? To give up a chance like that?

She was really choosing him?

"I'm sure. I love Modo and his family, just not enough, I guess. But I do love you, Throttle. First and foremost."

"First?"

He sounded so dumbfounded that she almost had to stifle a laugh, even as she felt herself blush. Did she really have to spell it out for him? "First in my heart. So no matter what, I will always choose you. That's just how it is." She gasped as his arms suddenly hugged her tight, his muzzle pressed to her neck.

He tried to say something, anything that would tell her just how much he knew it had to hurt her to turn them down, that he would never forget what she had given up for him. But the only words he could force out were a softly whispered, "Thank you."

Hours later, as they lay in bed with her soft breathing proving her sweetly asleep, the Martian was searching his own heart. He weighed what was most precious to him, and found himself finding an answer that, while not really unexpected, still surprised him. His decision was made.

Now all he had to do was go find Modo.


	13. Chapter 13

Hi guys! Sorry its been so long. But hey, go check out GirlyGeek's story, 'Home with You'. You'll love it!

Disclaimer: Self explanatory, dammit~!

Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Everyone else are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Chapter 13

Throttle quietly slipped out from the bed, brushing back a lock of auburn hair from his lover's face as she began to stir. He smiled as she gave a soft kiss to his palm in her sleep, settling back down to her dreams. The Martian pulled on his boots and left the room, trying to keep the noise down and not wake her. He kept his silent pace up as he made his way through the mansion's hallways, heading down to the living room to try and find Modo. His sensitive ears suddenly perked at the sound of talking from the living room. It sounded like Chef Andy and Mr. Williams were talking about their old army days, with some of the younger mice listening and asking questions.

He glanced in and saw Link and Bend listening intently to the humans, sitting beside Thrash on the couch as the red Martian quietly talked with Zodia, Voxanne, and Foale. It sounded like he was explaining Martian weaponry and history, and doing a good job judging by the looks of actual interest on the younger mice's faces. _Looks like we've got a teacher on our hands._

Rimfire was sitting beside Chloe on a smaller couch, the Terran leaning against the Martian's side as they listened to the older men. The young crew leader had his tail twined around her leg, and her arm was wrapped around his waist as they curled around each other. As the men talked, Rimfire leaned so that his cheek rested against Chloe's shoulder, the human girl unconsciously nuzzling into the young mouse's mane. Throttle couldn't help his raised eyebrow at the site of the young couple. _Rimfire moves faster than I thought. Good for him._ "Hey Rimfire?" He called softly from behind the couch, "You seen Modo?"

The teen startled at his voice, shrinking back a bit as he caught sight of the tan mouse. "He's with Aunt Auri in the garage," he answered. "They're trying to get the radio set up to contact Stoker." He hesitated a second, a squeeze from Chloe's hand helping him speak as the leader turned to walk down the hall. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry we upset Miss Charley."

Throttle didn't even pause in his stride. "I know."

He quickly made his way to the mansion's garage. He barely noticed the Ferraris and Mercedes parked to the sides as he walked, his eyes locked on the modified Airstream. He caught Auri's attention from the trailer's window, the blonde half-breed giving him a nervous smile as she motioned for her mate that he was there. The lady slipped out the door with a quick nod to Throttle that he politely returned as she hurried into the house. She knew the boys would need their privacy for whatever talk they needed to have.

But letting Silva know about it would certainly help if they needed to get the first aid kits.

Modo stepped out of the trailer, slightly apprehensive at seeing his bro. Throttle had been known on Mars for having a dangerous temper where his girl was concerned. The only time any soldier had disrespected Carbine in front of him, Throttle had sent that mouse to the hospital. Stoker had to take him to the Monks to learn to control his anger before some of the older fighters would let him back in their ranks. And Modo knew that their talk earlier today more than qualified in the 'upsetting-his-girl' department. He wasn't sure how to broach the subject, so he decided on the blunt approach. "How's she doin'?"

"Not as upset as before," the tan mouse answered. "She wants to talk to you later on. The lady's pretty ticked."

"I expected as much," Modo said quietly.

A hard crack was heard as Throttle moved faster than Modo could follow, punching the grey mouse across the jaw. The giant staggered back at the blow, shaking his head to clear the lights out of his eye. "I expected that too," he said dazedly.

Throttle was panting hard, visibly restraining himself from going farther. The tan mouse was a mass of tension. His fists were clenched at his sides and his tail was coiling and writhing around his ankles. Definitely not a good sign. Throttle's shades slid down his muzzle as he looked at his bro, the silence stretching out between them before he spoke. He couldn't help the anger in his voice as he bit out, "You made her cry."

Modo winced at that, unable to look at his bro. Hearing about any woman crying was bad enough. To have it be someone he loved and know it was partially his fault was even worse. "I know she can't un-cry them, but I'll still tell her I'm sorry."

Throttle looked away for a moment. "I know you didn't mean to do anything to hurt her, I know you never meant to make her unhappy. It just ain't in you to do something like that." Suddenly he lunged forward, grabbing the grey mouse's chest armor and forcing him up and back against the trailer wall. A huge clang of metal sounded as the cybernetic arm smacked against the side. "Just so you know, I'll still be pretty pissed at you for that for a while. And if you ever hurt her like that again, bro or not, I swear to the Almighty himself I'll rip your tail out," he growled.

Modo's one eye went wide in shock at how fast his bro could move. Gods, he hadn't even seen him coming. "I promise you, I won't," he said, sincerity ringing in his voice. "We just wanted her to know how much we love her, bro."

Throttle just shook his head as he lowered his friend back down to the ground. "Yeah, well, your method could use some work," he snapped, moving to stand beside him and leaning back against the cool metal.

"Sorry," Modo said quietly. "Honestly, bro, if she had been a Mouse, you would've had to deal with this anyway."

"I know!" The tan mouse bit out. "I know if I had stayed with Carbine, the exact same thing would have come up. For the record, I'd still be nervous about doing the siemdath with her. But Charley, she's different. There's no prejudice there, no memories, no rumors, no one telling her things about me. She never once looked down on me for my history, Modo, she wished she could take it from me." He hung his head, the remembered weight of cruel words and crueler actions pulling at him. "She just accepts me for who I am, and the only history that matters to her is the one I've made for myself."

Modo smiled. "Just proves that she's a smart girl. That's the only history that should really matter to anyone when they fall in love, bro. You think I never heard what they all said about my clan for taking in rat half-breed? Or when I made Auri my mate?" He shook his head. "If it weren't for all the damn memories, I think we'd be a better people as a whole. No holding onto so much hate."

Throttle blinked, pushing his shades back into position on his face. "Glad to know I'm not the only one that thinks that. So, do you still want Charley as part of your clan?"

"Of course," Modo answered instantly. "I can't think of any clan that wouldn't want her. Short of the raging bigots, of course."

"Ah yes, can't forget that bunch of inbred stuck-ups," the tan mouse said wryly. He gave a sidelong look at his bro. "So I'm the only obstacle to that?"

"Bro"--

"Just asking if that's the only thing stopping you."

"Bro, I never once thought she'd say yes to us," Modo argued. "Not once I explained things to her. I knew she would never do anything that would take her away from you. I just didn't think it would bother her so bad--I mean, I thought she had her own clan to fall back on--well, no, I mean--I--aw, hell, bro."

Throttle's eyebrows raised before he gave a small chuckle to himself. "I still think you should have asked her first, but hey, no use crying over spilled milk. And you know, that's exactly what Charley said, about not leaving me. She said I was first in her heart."

Modo regarded his friend in mild shock. "You're surprised? She loves you more than anything, has for the longest time. Even Vinnie saw it, way back when."

Now his brows were up in surprise. "Vincent saw it before I ever knew she liked me like that? These eyes must be more messed up than I thought."

The grey mouse couldn't help his laughter. "Only you, bro. See everything out in battle field, all the angles and shots to take. Can't tell jack about girls. Maybe it's the shades."

"Yeah, yeah, yuk it up, wise guy," Throttle groused. He then went oddly quiet for a moment, catching Modo's attention with his sudden solemnity. "I want Charley to be happy, bro."

Modo cocked his eyebrow at his friend, surprised at the turn of the conversation. "I know."

"No, I"-he stopped, visibly gathered his thoughts-"I mean, I want her to have what you're offering. I know that would make her happier than she's been in a real long time."

The grey Martian's jaw dropped. "You want her to say yes?"

Throttle nodded. "But I don't want to ask her to choose. Its cruel to ask that of her. So I want to be sure that if I say I want her to say yes, that she won't have to make a choice like that."

Modo's jaw dropped even lower and his eye went as wide as a dinner plate when he realized what the mouse meant to do. "Bro?"

Throttle turned so that he looked his friend right in the eye. "I want to try the _siemdath_."

Modo was completely stunned. This was the ultimate test of friendship, or of any bond that existed among Martian Mice. This could make or break everything they'd ever gone through together, years of brotherhood riding on a thin line.

They could be deadly enemies after this. "Are…..are you sure?"

The tan mouse nodded. "Yes, I am. She's worth it, bro. Besides, we've been through different dimensions, time vortexes, prison camps, and battle fields. Hell, we've even stopped a few Apocalypses together. Have a little faith, bro," Throttle said in quiet seriousness. His antennae began to glow as he stepped forward.

Modo found himself nodding in return. He understood. After all, he'd done the same for Auri. "Then lets do this."

&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Charley stirred slowly, reaching out across the bed as she stretched. It couldn't have been more than a few hours since they'd laid down. She frowned as she felt empty bed where her mouse should be and reluctantly sat up. The girl couldn't help her slight pout as she realized that he'd been gone for a while already, and headed for the bathroom to clean herself up.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, she headed down the hall. The Terran had barely gotten to the top of the stair before she was stopped short. Silva looked up at her from the middle stair, biting her lip pensively. "Charley?"

The mechanic pasted on a smile. "Miss Silva."

The elder mouse's face fell a bit at the formal tone. She had hoped to come and talk to the mechanic, to try and explain. But it may well be too late for that or apologies. "May we talk?"

Charley swallowed hard. No point in putting it off. "Sure. My room or yours?"

"Oh, yours is fine, dear," Silva said hurriedly, coming up the last stairs and walking beside the human. They stopped at the door, Silva speaking before Charley even reached the handle, "I'm sorry."

Charley felt a part of her crumble at the sadness in the Martian's voice. Another part of her began to get very angry. "Silva…..why? Why did you ask me to be a part of your family, but at the cost of Throttle? You know what he means to me! Why would you do that to me?!"

"I'm sorry, Charley," the grey lady repeated, pleading growing in her voice. "Modo said that you would turn us down once he told you about what the bond would mean, but I had hoped that it wouldn't hurt you so badly. We do love you, Charley-girl, and we do want you as part of our clan. We would never have even thought to ask if we didn't, dear-heart, never doubt that."

"Then why?!" The girl cried, a hot tear tracing down her cheek.

"Charley, every Mouse must make this sort of decision when they fall in love," Silva said. "They must take the risk with the _siemdath_, knowing that they may be betrayed in spite of all their love. That's why there is almost no such thing as divorce in Martian Mice. If your family was alive now, and didn't approve of Throttle, what would you do?"

"Leave them and go with him," Charley answered, no hesitation at all in her reply. "I'd be sad, but I'd have him. That's all that would matter to me."

Silva leaned back a bit in shock. "You would leave your clan? Leave everyone behind?"

"For the sake of the one that loves me, yes," she replied. "If they could be so cruel as to cast him out just because he's different, then they aren't the people that I loved all my life. The only thing that matters is that I love him and he loves me."

Silva stared at the girl--no, the woman before her. "You truly mean that, don't you?"

"Absolutely."

The grey mouse shook her head with a bemused smile. "Maybe humans have the right idea about it. May the gods smile on you both, my dear girl. I pray you will be happy with him."

Charley found a real smile for the Martian. "Thank you, Silva."

"Can you forgive a selfish old mouse?" The lady asked softly. The human felt her throat close around the words she wanted to say, and could only nod. Suddenly both were embracing, apologies and tears flowing between them. A short cry later, the women headed downstairs, surprised to see an anxious group heading out of the living room.

"What's going on?"

"Miss Auri just told us about Throttle and Modo in the garage," Link answered.

"And they've been in there for a while, with no sound out of them," Rimfire said worriedly.

"Look, you're blowing this way out of proportion, I'm telling you," Vinnie said, shaking his head. "They're just working some stuff out"--

"Working stuff out does not go like that!" Rimfire exclaimed. "And could you please stay out of it!"

"What is the big deal about all this?" Foale asked Mr. Williams. The old guard shrugged. "Beats me. Must be a Martian thing"--

"Modo offered to make me part of his clan," Charley said over all the noise.

Dead quiet suddenly reigned, Auri and Silva wincing at the human's bluntness. "What?" Vinnie asked blankly.

"Part of his clan?" Rev asked. "Is that like adoption?"

"Sort of," Link said, his face absolutely stunned.

"I don't understand," Voxanne said, frowning at the various reactions of the native Martians. "Is that something bad?"

"It could be," Vinnie said, his voice high in shock. Thrash nodded dumbly in agreement.

"How?" Chloe asked in confusion, the look echoed on Zodia's face. "How could having more family be bad?"

Rimfire grimaced. "Its not that, believe me, Chloe-love. We want Miss Charley as part of our family, but it might mean that she can't be with Throttle anymore. Its complicated," he said at her look of growing bewilderment. "But we"--

"What's all the ruckus about?"

"Did we miss something fun?" Came another familiar voice from the hallway. Two tired looking mice walked in, grinning from ear to ear. "'Cause if someone started a party without us, I'll be very upset."

Everyone stared at Modo and Throttle. They were covered with sweat, their antennae drooping almost to their ears, both supporting each other as it looked like they could barely walk. "Otaku, you alright?" Charley asked in worry.

If anything, his grin grew wider. "Better than alright, darlin'," he said, slowly coming over to her side and kissing her cheek. "You can tell them yes," he whispered in her ear, the smile coloring his voice. "Everything'd be fine."

"Throttle?" She asked, a frown on confusion forming.

"We did the _siemdath_," he explained quietly for her ears alone. He noticed Modo pulling his--_their_ clan off to the side to explain in private and he moved to do the same. They settled on the couch where the younger mice had been sitting, the leader leaning heavily on her side. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling his muscles tremble in exhaustion. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm good," he said, a smile still pulling at his mouth. "But the _siemdath_ takes a lot out of you."

"You really did it?" She asked incredulously. "Why? Why would you risk it?"

He cupped her cheek in his hand. "I want you to be happy, Charley. Now you can tell them yes. You can have a family again."

"I didn't want it if it meant loosing you," she said.

"I know, baby. But I wanted to try. You're worth it."

Charlene felt her jaw drop in shock. She knew how much Modo meant to him. Vincent and Modo were the closest thing to real brothers he had ever known, the closest thing to family he'd ever had, and he risked so much of it for her. She hid her face in the crook of his neck so he wouldn't see the sudden tears that welled up. "I swear, I'll never understand you."

"The feeling is mutual," he zinged back, laughing when she mock-hit his shoulder. "We're clan, Charley-darlin'," he said. "We found our ancestors in our memories. Modo's my cousin, on Mom's side. Way down the line, but its there. I still have a clan," he said in wonder. "I always liked Silva, and now I know why. She's not just a sweet lady, she's my clan's tabia." He leaned fully against her side, eyes closing as he breathed in her scent. "I think my mom would had liked her."

Charley smiled as she ran her fingers through his short mane. "No doubt they'd have a lot in common."

"No doubt. But its safe to work the clan joining. A linking of minds," he explained. "They'll see your memories and you'll see theirs. Just allow things to flow between your minds and you should be fine. Its more about forming trust than anything else."

"That's all?"

"Basically."

"So, when do we do this clan joining?"

"Big fella figures sometime tomorrow." He yawned, closing his eyes just for a moment to clear his thoughts. "Preferably in the morning so we all have time to recover and get…. ready for the… Flyer….." The mouse was asleep less than a minute later.

"Early mornings are against my religion," Charley muttered, curling up against his side. She looked up as Voxanne and Bend came over to her.

"Is he alright?"

The human nodded, resting her head on top of his. "He's fine, just tired. Martian mind tricks take a lot out of him."

"Mind tricks?" Bend asked in curiosity.

"Throttle's rather talented at Martian mind abilities," she explained. "But it can be really hard on him if he does too much at once. He'll tell you more about it tomorrow morning. For now, I think he needs to be put to bed."

Bend shook his head, "How can he sleep through this racket?"

Charley laughed softly. "Lots of practice when he was in growing up in the Freedom Fighters' camp."

"Freedom Fighters?" Voxanne asked curiously.

The human smiled. "You two better sit down. Its time you learned a little more about your big brother."

&*&*&*&*&*&*

Rev stared out the conservatory window at the lights of the Vegas strip. He rested his head against his arm as he leaned against the wall, dozens of thoughts going through his head. The old lady-mouse, Silva, she said that they would be doing a clan joining in the morning and they should get their rest. Vincent had said it was the Martian way of making someone into family. But wasn't it blood that made a family? People that were related to you? He had formed strong bonds with Little Brother--(Bend, he reminded himself)--but they'd had no one else to rely on at the time. He knew he was protective of the kid, and knew that he cared about him. Did that mean that they were family?

And what about that _siemdath_ thing Modo and Throttle had done? It sounded like a huge deal, but no one would tell him just what it meant. And what exactly were 'Martian mind tricks?' Did that mean anyone could do them, or did you have to have training? What was all that about clans? God, there was so much he didn't know about his own species. It was enough to severely frustrate a Mouse.

"Can't sleep?"

He turned in mild surprise at the sound of Foale's voice. "I figured you'd be asleep after all that drama earlier."

"Same to you," she said, coming over to stand by his side. "I thought Vinnie was going to have a cow. Guess that _siemdath_ thing's pretty important, huh?"

"Guess so."

She gave him a sidelong look. "Voxanne's worried about you."

"She is? Why?"

"Said you looked like a lot was on your mind. But Charley's been filling them in on everything under the sun, so that leaves me to talk to you. "

"Don't strain yourself, sunshine."

She gave a beatific smile. "Its all part of my sweet disposition." He made a show of looking around to see who she was talking about, and she smacked his arm. "Wise-guy."

"I try," he said sardonically.

"So what's on your mind?" She asked.

"My god, you're subtle."

"Extremely. Now spill."

He shot her a look. "Dr. Phil you are not." He sighed. "What the hell is a family?"

Foale blinked her pink eyes in surprise. "What? A family?"

"Yeah. What the hell is that? We're family because we're related, right?"

"You and me? Um, yeah."

"But me and Bend, we called each other brothers for as long as I've known him. Does that mean we're family too? And is he just family with me, or with you too because of me? And you call Silver and Gold Jewels your sisters, so are they my sisters too? Does that mean if I date Voxanne, its incest?! What"--

"Whoa, bro!! Take a deep breath before you pass out on the floor!" Foale said in concern. "Okay, now you chill for a second. You're making this into way too big a deal." She sighed. "Look, I don't think I'm the best one to ask about this, but here goes. From what I understand of it, the definition of family are the people that you're related to by blood, and the people that care about you and take care of you. I asked Mr. Williams about it, and he said that just because someone's related to you doesn't make them family. The most important part of it is if they care about you, and if you care about them. He said your relatives you're stuck with, but your friends are the family you choose."

He frowned in confusion. "You can choose your family?"

"Vinnie did," she said. "He chose to take us in."

"He said that I was his twin, but I was just born late," Rev said quietly. "We share identical genetics, and you do too. Isn't that being related?"

"Not the way that's normal," she replied. "Most people think of a clone like a thing, whether it's a person or not. He didn't have to want us around, or even accept us. He chose to. And you know, we chose him too, or we wouldn't be worried about any of this. Throttle chose Voxanne and Bend, and they chose him. Same for Zodia and all of them. And they chose Charley, too."

"So you think you can make your own family, regardless of who you're related to?" He clarified.

She shrugged, "Why not? I think of Bend like a little brother, so I treat him like a little brother. Zodia does too. That doesn't mean that we suddenly share blood, or anything. Just that they're the family I choose."

Rev found a smile. "So we make our own families? I like that idea."

Foale smiled in return. "So do I. The clan joining thing is supposed to be the Martian way that Mice do that. I overheard Silva explaining it to Zodia," she said to his look of surprise. "Its about building trust by showing the memories and secrets that our blood family has, and sharing in part of that history. Or something like that."

Rev looked pensive as he thought that over. "Its our choice to accept or not whether we want to be his clan, right?"

"Right."

"Then I guess my choice is made," he said in quiet certainty. "I wonder if we have a last name."

Foale smiled. "I think that's part of the whole clan thing. Now that that mini-breakdown is over with, anything else on your mind?"

He almost told her the truth, but figured enough was enough for one night. "Nah, I'm good. Go on and get some rest, sis. We got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Self explanatory, dammit~!

Throttle, Modo, Vincent, Charlene Davidson, Rimfire, Chef Andy Steinhaur, One-Eyed Jack Monterrey are all characters from the original show. Everyone else are my characters, along with any others that pop up. Thanks!

Some grammar things: Tabian=Martian clan elder, or head of the clan

Tharga=Martian creature most closely resembling a horse of Earth, but carnivorous with three horns and pack mentality. Commonly used in cavalry units in battle.

Okay, I wanted to do all three clans, but it looked confusing even to me, the author. So this is the joining and memories of Modo's clan, each paragraph is another person's memories and ends with this--. Hope you like it!

Chapter 14

The next morning dawned far too soon for some people. Chloe Hong had had a short night of sleep with all the commotion that had gone on. She knew that only a cup of very strong black tea would get her going this morning as she pulled on a simple green shirt and a pair of jeans. But her thoughts kept drifting to what had gone on earlier. The Martian Mice had been shocked at what Charley had said, and it looked like things were only going to get more intense as the day went on. It had affected everyone present, herself and Mr. Williams and Mr. Stienhaur included. They had all been worried about their alien friends, but didn't know what to do to help, if they even could help.

Rimfire had been so worried about things last night that she couldn't help sharing some of that worry. _He looked like he was about to completely freak out when he thought Throttle and his Uncle were fighting. They must mean so much to him._ It almost felt strange for him to act like that, to be so concerned what his family did and thought.

But she knew she felt that way because she'd by no means had a normal family. Her mother had divorced her father when she was barely five years old; walking out of their lives like it was nothing. And though she had no doubt that her father loved her, she could honestly say that they weren't as close as a family should be. She hadn't even seen the man in five months, hadn't been able to talk to him for three weeks due to 'scheduling conflicts'.

Good lord, felt more like family than her father did.

She found herself envying the strong bond she could see around Rimfire and his family, even the friendships between Rimmy and his bros. Chloe had good friends in her band mates, but they couldn't be together anywhere near the amount of time she wished for. It was hard just meeting up for practice, let alone actually spending time together--

_Stop it. You're whining about the best thing that ever happened to you. Since when do you wallow in self-pity like this? _The girl pushed back her black locks from her face, not really surprised to find herself wiping away a stray tear as she walked into the kitchen. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even see the stripe-haired Mouse sitting at the kitchen island. _I just wish_--

Warm hands suddenly cupped her face, a calloused thumb stroking across her cheekbone. "Chloe-love? Baby, what's wrong?"

Her hands instantly took his wrists in surprise. "Rimmy?" She suddenly flushed in embarrassment, "Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention, its nothing." _He doesn't need to hear about my pathetic problems. I mean, look what he's got to worry about, a freaking war! Like my baggage compares. _"Don't worry about it--

The handsome mouse tilted her face so that her black eyes met his brown ones. "Baby, what's wrong?" he repeated softly.

She felt her resolve crumble into dust and she gratefully leaned into his hand. "Just missing my dad, I guess. I haven't seen him in months."

Rimfire startled at that. "Really? Has he been so busy running the casino?"

"Casinos, five of them," she corrected. "Yeah, I guess so. I haven't even got to talk to him for a few weeks now. Which is a blessing, I suppose."

"A blessing?"

She smiled crookedly, "What he doesn't know about, he can't blow his stack over."

Rimfire moved his hands down her face and jaw, pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her waist as he rubbed his cheek against hers. "It still hurts you though."

Chloe pulled herself tighter against him, for one moment wishing she could disappear in the warmth he offered. "Yeah, but this helps."

He smiled into her hair. "It helps me too."

She pulled back to look him in the eyes. "With what?"

His smile became tinged with sorrow and his ears tilted down. "I miss my dad too. And Mom and my sister Primer. So many are missing or gone from my clan because of this fragging war." His tail coiled around her hips. "But this, this helps. I don't feel so.....lost, when I'm with you."

Chloe Hong, in that moment, hated Monterrey and all his Plutarkian people with a white-hot intensity. _Damn those fish to Hell. He should never feel like that. I wish I could take it from him. He deserves so much more than what he gets. _"You know what, Rimmy, I think I love you."

Rimfire went completely still for a half second. No girl had ever told him they loved him before. She suddenly flushed at her confession, a hint of glowing pink in her cheeks that he found adorable. Kusha have mercy, but she was so beautiful. Within, without, Martian or Terran, it didn't matter how he looked at her. She was beautiful. He couldn't resist the urge and kissed her, a slow, soft meeting of mouths and tongues that began to build a slow burn in both of them. "I think I love you too."

He nearly drowned in soft black eyes as he saw her expression change to one of joy, a smile forming that shone bright as the sun. "Oh, Rimfire," she said softly.

_I'll never get enough of how she sounds saying my name,_ he thought possessively. "Do you know what the word 'klo-iy' means in High Common Martian?" He pushed her back against the kitchen island as he kissed her again, breath coming faster as the burning grew hotter. His hands slid down her back, unconsciously fitting her against his hard body. Chloe gasped at the sudden boldness, her head falling back as he moved his wicked mouth from hers and lightly bit the sensitized skin on her neck. She cried out as he sucked the skin there, knowing it would leave a mark she couldn't hide. "It means 'passion.' Klo-iy, Chloe. I should have known the moment I heard your name this would happen."

Rimfire kissed her again, wringing pleasured sounds so easily from her that it almost frightened her. With more willpower than she ever suspected she had, she brought her hands up and pushed on his chest, breaking their kiss. The girl had to take several deep breaths to focus. "You know, I think we best change the subject, or things might get a little warm around here."

"I thought they were already," he said in a low, liquid voice.

She shivered at the sound, a tingling growing in all the right places. _God save me from Martian charm! _"Warmer, then."

"Alright," he said, his tail playfully teasing her as it slid up and around her waist. "What would the lady like to discuss?"

She found herself growing warm again and had to push herself further away from him to clear her thoughts. "W-we could talk about--about-"-

"Are we interrupting?" Link's voice drawled from the kitchen doorway. The couple whirled to face the black mouse who's green eyes were dancing in mischief, blushes forming on both faces as they sprang apart like they'd been burned.

Thrash just shook his head as he pushed past the taller mouse. "Can't you ever just leave them alone?" He reached into the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk, rummaging through the cabinets to find a glass.

"Aw, what's the fun in that?" Link asked as he pulled up a stool to the kitchen island. "Besides, it looked like things were about to get interesting. So spill, love-birds."

"I'm really beginning to not like you," Rimfire muttered as he went over beside Thrash and drank straight from the milk carton. He took the time behind the carton to try and get rid of his very un-macho expression.

"Hey, now, don't get mad at the chaperones," Link said cheerfully. "We're the ones that make sure there's at least one surprise left on your wedding night."

Rimfire's jaw dropped at the innuendo and he made to pull his fist back to defend his lady's honor when a glance behind the black mouse made him pause. The sudden grin on his leader's face made Link scoot back on his chair. "What's that for?" he asked nervously.

"Because I'm dating a diabolical woman, that's what that's for," the leader replied with an evil chuckle. Right as Chloe dropped a cast iron skillet on Link's tail, while wearing an angelic smile.

CLANG. "YOWWWWW!!!!"

Thrash laughed so hard he shot milk out his nose.

"So," Chloe asked over the sounds of Link whimpering as he tried to straighten his tail back out, "do you know if your uncle managed to contact Stoker last night?"

"He did," Rimfire said, still smirking at Link. "He said he should be in Chicago in three or four days, but Uncle Modo told him to make it four. It might take us a while to get there, and the Flyer Tournament could give us some problems."

"Yeah right," Link said, now keeping a respectful distance from Chloe. "Bro, they don't even have lasers on this planet. Do you really think this'll even be a challenge?"

"Just because something's low-tech doesn't mean it can't pack a punch," a female voice said form the doorway. Charley walked in beside Throttle, who looked half-asleep as they made for the kitchen table. "A shot-gun is just as effective as a laser cannon at the right range. Besides, a lot more Plutarkian tech has made it to the black market than you think. Don't be surprised if you see stuff that compares to your average invasion brigade."

The three younger Mice paused at that. "But wouldn't the Plutarkians try to keep their technology to themselves?" Thrash asked. "Secrecy is their main weapon for an invasion. Lasers are much more noticeable on a planet that doesn't carry that level of technology yet."

"Lets just say that Limburger is a lot more strapped for cash than he'd like to admit," Throttle explained, cracking a huge yawn before he continued. "He's been selling off a lot of the cheaper laser pistols and rifles for cash to try and take over Chi-town to any thug or crime-lord he can get them to."

"He's that desperate?" Thrash asked in amazement.

"Its been almost four years of constantly rebuilding the Tower, reorganizing and re-arming all his goons, and still trying to buy up land from people that are refusing to sell to him," the tan mouse replied. "I'm amazed he's still got two gills to rub together."

"Same here, bro," Vinnie said as he came into the room, Rev, Foale, and Voxanne not far behind. "We've done enough slammin' on him to be worth Phobos' weight in platinum, and somehow he still keeps coming back."

"Frustrating?" Foale asked.

"Very," the half-masked Mouse said cheerfully. "But hey, it just means more fun for us, right, bro?"

Throttle chuckled, "Too true, Vin-man, too true." Charley just shook her head in exasperation.

_Classic Freedom Fighter mentality,_ Thrash thought to himself. _They just keep running in, never giving up even when the odds are stacked so badly, a blind man would call out._ The red mouse had to hide his small smile. _But isn't that why I like them so much?_

Thrash had a very different background compared to his bros. He'd been brought up in a very military household when he was younger. He had a rich family that was, in his humble opinion, the original definition of snobbish. Most of his clan went into the service or even worse, he privately shuddered, politics. An advantage of that was that he already had a lot of training with weapons and fighting at an early age. Hell, he even knew how to fence. With more than one sword at a time.

One hell of a disadvantage was that his family wanted nothing more than for him to serve in the Army, the traditional, (obeying the Plutarkian-paid government at the cost of thousands of lives), Army. Or maybe follow in his father's footsteps and have a political career. Not even finding out that the Martian government had been corrupted and bribed by the Plutarkians, changed his parents' minds about his future.

When Thrash had run away from his clan at 13 and met up with the Freedom Fighters, Stoker had later made the joke that he'd never seen a boy so desperate to join the only working army on Mars. He'd met up with Rimfire and Link a few years later, and was beyond grateful to have such good friends. Becoming part of their squad was one of the best things to ever happen to him. So Thrash's prayer was sincere that today would go well for his best bro. He knew how much clan and family meant to Rimfire.

Silva and Auri came in next, the two supporting a very groggy Modo. Zodia followed behind them with a still-sleepy Bend in her arms. The dark-furred girl smiled shyly at them as Chloe helped get out some food from the fridge for a quick breakfast. Everyone seemed nervous as they ate, most just picking at the food from sheer nerves.

"Is there anything that you need for today?" Chloe asked the room at large, breaking the tension. "Anything special? I don't know if I could get something too specific, but I'll try my best."

Throttle glanced around the room at the other two tabians. "Nah, this shouldn't be any trouble. We just need a couple of rooms for some privacy."

"And maybe some painkillers," Silva said with a discreet look at Charley. "Sometimes a joining can cause headaches in people that are sensitive."

"Sure thing," Chloe said. "Most of the third floor bedrooms aren't being used, so they'd be perfect."

"We can go check out Tsu's garage," Link said as he and Thrash got up to leave. "Make sure the insurance guys aren't trying to give the poor joe the run-around. Besides, that lil' booger of his owes me another game."

Thrash couldn't help his smile. "I still can't believe you got your tail handed to you in a game of checkers by a three year old."

"He cheats!"

"How?!" the red mouse asked incredulously as the other mice laughed.

"As soon as I catch him at it, I'll let you know," Link said matter-of-factly.

&*&*&*&*&*&

Mice gathered around the room, clearing away furniture for a wide space on the floor. One by one, they stood in a tight circle, arms linking around each other. Modo smiled at his nephew and gave a look of reassurance over to Charley. "You know everything will be alright."

She couldn't help her nervous smile. "God, I hope so."

"Have faith, Miss Charley," Rimfire said. "Even if the bonding doesn't work for you, you're still part of this clan."

"Thank you," Charley said.

"Will--" Zodia's voice broke as she tried to gather her thoughts to speak, "Will it--"

"Will what, sis?" Modo asked.

"Will--I mean, are you sure it will work for me?" Zodia asked softly, worry clear in her voice. "I'm just something grown, not born"--

"That's not true," Modo said strongly as Auri's hands flew saying the same thing.

"Of course its not, dear-heart," Silva said. "You may not have been born from me, but you are made from the best of me, and the best of my mate Wheeler. You have every right to be here, and don't you let anyone ever tell you differently."

"Yeah. We want you here, Zodia, you and Miss Charley both," Rimfire said firmly.

Zodia blinked in surprise at how forcefully they spoke, tears falling down her face. "Thank you," she whispered.

Charley's smile was sincere as she came over and hugged her soon-to-be sister. "I'm as new to this as you. We can do this."

"Just relax your barriers. We'll walk you through everything, so don't worry," Rimfire said.

The girl nodded as Auri squeezed her hand. "I know." She took a deep breath, forcing her pounding heart to slow its rhythm. "I know we'll get through this just fine. And you know, hon, you can call me plain old Charley now."

Silva laughed as Rimfire nodded ruefully, sending a reassuring squeeze to Zodia's hand as they came forward in the circle. "Indeed."

_The next room over...._

Throttle described the joining in detail to Voxanne and Bend, telling them about what would happen and what they might expect. The other tan mice glanced at each other, nodding firmly when he asked if they were sure this was what they wanted. He gave a small smile to his brother and sister as his antennae began to glow, theirs responding to his call.

"_Solare toth arum, et ceare pasca letci....."_

'Let the light call us, that we may welcome....'

_Across the hallway..._

No one would have ever recognized the serene look on Vincent Van Wham's face as the joining began to form between the white mice. The hum of memories stirring in his mind, the harmonizing of his sister and brother's thoughts to his own, settled something in his heart. He smiled as he realized what it was. He would finally have what he had wished for since that horrible day when he'd lost nearly all his clan.

A second chance at a family.

He swore to himself that he would not waste it, not this time

&*&*&*&**&*&**&

The glow of antennae was almost blinding, and warmth that seemed to come for within began to pulse out a rhythm. A gentle pressure grew against their temples, relaxing as the barriers of minds and memories began to fall. Thoughts faded away and visions began to fill their mind's eye, the scents and sounds perfectly clear.

Scenes of battle drifted up from the depths of memory. The war cries of fierce soldiers and screams of thargas rang out as they charged into terrible battlefields. Alliances forged in blood and by love as clans came together to celebrate, to fight, to avenge, to honor the dead. Songs and laughter sounded as Mice of every color danced at weddings, births, festivals long remembered for their joy.

The names, the secrets, the loves and hates, all laid bare for them to see. Shame and honor were side by side, the reasons behind them as clear as if they had known them all along.

{Modo's family. The Dirkrange Clan.}

Hands from a loving parent, a smile of pride, words that shaped her thinking and ideals for all of her life came to Silva's mind. Bits and pieces were brilliantly clear as they were shared out among her remade family. As all their memories began to be shared.

The largest grey mouse Silva had ever seen shook his head ruefully as he dusted off all the flour she'd spilled on him in home ec class. "Well," a deep base voice said kindly, "that's one way to get my attention. The name's Wheeler, pretty miss. What's yours?" A handsome smile, a sweet kiss, a treasured memory of passion on the night of their wedding---

Pain? She couldn't remember any pain as she heard the cry of their first born, a beautiful blonde girl with her father's eyes. "Nitra," Wheeler said in soft wonder as he held her in his huge hands. "Nitra's the perfect name for her."--

"I love you, Auri-darlin'," he said in his thrumming voice. "I've loved you for the longest time." Auri couldn't remember ever being so happy before, a wordless cry of joy all that she could get out as she leapt into Modo's arms--

"Momma, Momma, look at what I can do!" So many precious moments of her daughter's life flashed before her eyes, oh, how could she grow up so fast?--

He pushed himself back to his feet as his sister punched out another one of those rotten bullies that dared to call her a weak little girl. "See, I told you she hits hard," Rimfire said proudly.--

Okay, she remembered a little bit of pain when they welcomed what had to be the largest baby born on Mars, a solid grey boy with a loud cry. Wheeler nearly glowed with pride as Nitra sat in his lap, carefully holding her new baby brother, Modo.---

"Get out, you filthy little rat! It's your fault she died! Get out of my house!! The sharp pain exploded on her face as her mother's sister slapped her hard enough to shove her out the door. Auri pushed herself to her feet as fast as she could, running from that house and the sadness it would always bring her. She had no idea where to go, but anywhere had to be better than here--

Oh gods, it hurt, it hurt when they brought her the news. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but Wheeler is dead. Died trying to get some of the last workers out when the mine shaft collapsed." It hurt like a physical blow, her children's eyes filled with tears, how lonely that bed felt without his warmth beside her. How lonely it would always feel--

Nitra's eyes were filled with tears as she held him on her lap. Her voice shook as she tried to tell him why Momma was crying, and then she was crying, and then he knew he would be crying for a long, long time. "But why?" a seven year old Modo wept. "Why is Daddy gone?"---

Nitra smiled like she did on her wedding day as Ratchet, that dear boy, held her children in his arms for the first time. "Rimfire," he said softly as his antennae touched the face of his son. They glowed again as he held his little girl, that instant protective look making Silva smile as he named his daughter Primer--

The day they took Auri in, and the wonder in Modo's eyes as he looked at her. Mild surprise, followed by the thought, _'They'll be together in four years, five tops. Good_.'--

She was so beautiful, delicate and small like the first wind would knock her over. But she was standing up to those girls that called her a 'filthy rat' like a soldier. He couldn't just let her stand all alone, what kind of man would he be if he did? "Hey, you leave her alone! She didn't' do anything to you!" Modo shouted angrily--

News of the fighting, of war beginning, the fire growing in her son's eyes as he went out to join Stoker's group, the Freedom Fighters. Destruction began to rain across Mars, betrayal ringing out on a scale unseen since the days before the White King. Millions of people died, or disappeared. The government was doing nothing, or worse, doing something very badly--

Two bikers pulled her from the wreckage, their voices muted from the ringing in her ears. One held her so gently as the other pressed his fingers against her mommy's neck, sadly shaking his head as he moved away from the broken vehicle. Why wasn't Mommy getting up? Where was Dad? "You're Ian Davidson's little girl? Don't worry, kiddo, your uncle ain't far from here. We'll get you to a hospital and the garage in no time--Aw, honey no, don't cry, don't cry, shhh"--

The day Modo married Auri, how happy his Uncle and Aunt looked despite all the news of war around them--

He was so tall and big in the shoulders, even bigger than Dad and she didn't' think that was possible of anyone. She couldn't help it and shied away when he reached out to take her hand. He looked hurt, and she felt tears come, finally pushing through her sad wish to not cry. "I'm sorry," she said, beginning to sob. "I didn't mean--(_hiccup_)--to be--(_hiccup_)--mean--I just--(_gasp_)--want my Mommy. (_Sob_) I want my Mommy!"

Ryan Davidson blinked back tears as he pulled her up on his hip. "I know, baby, I know. But you have to be strong now, alright? I'm gonna take care of you from now on. Don't you worry, sweetheart, I've got you and I'm not leaving you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to my little girl."--

The night of their wedding, so many nervous jokes and laughter, and even tears as they made love for the first time--

Lily and Julia smiled at her as they played out their latest prank on an unsuspecting principal. "C'mon, Charley, live a little! Its just a harmless little joke-" The outraged shout as the firecrackers went off had them running down the halls, and by god that man could shout as he lectured them on proper behavior. The two girls smiled at her, and she smiled back, so very glad that she had made her first new friends--

The fall of the capitol city of Brimstone, and how so many had begun to truly despair that Mars would be lost--

The day Nitra and Ratchet disappeared, their fate unknown. The sad tears of her grandchildren, how they had cried as they slept by her side that long night--

"I'm Throttle, and the short guy here"-

"Hey!"

-"is Vincent. Welcome to the team, Modo."--

The day Carn's people betrayed them, stealing thousands of children, including Primer. She thought Rimfire would go mad, crying out over and over for his sister. Oh, those bastards had made it even worse, killing Auri. The terrible anger and greif of her son, how his two friends stayed by his side as he mourned his beloved wife--

Primer, where, where was she? She couldn't be gone, he'd _know_ _if she was gone, she was __**his twin, always with him, she could not be gone!--**_

Jack McCyber, a short courtship and what she hoped would be a beautiful wedding. Lily and Julia were so excited, helping her pick out a dress and flowers, and did she want chocolate or lemon wedding cake?--

Racing over the desert sands, and then sharp hot, blinding pain, and darkness. His eye, (why only one?) blinked open, trying to clear away the headache pounding in his skull. The grey mouse was horrified to see his bros strapped down on tables, and oh gods no, not Karbunkle, he was standing over Throttle with a scalpel, Kusha have mercy, no! Vinnie, where was Vinnie?! A dull clank sounded when he tried to move his right arm, and he tried so hard to not scream as he saw a robotic arm where flesh had once been---

The cell was cold, and she shivered in the frigid air. Suddenly the door opened, a tan mouse girl and a small white mouse girl thrown through the door by rough hands. The icy voice that she had learned to fear spoke, "Here now, some playmates for you. And once you've all grown, you'll be _my_ little playthings." Zodia trembled as Julian Karbunkle looked right at her, his dead gaze feeling like slime on her body. The other mice reached out for her, shaking in fear and cold and they clung to each other for warmth.--

"You dare defy your master, you little bitch?! I'll give you a punishment you'll never forget," the Plutarkian growled. Clawed hands reached out, the forcewhip wrapped so tight around her throat she thought she would be choked to death, and then the power was turned on and her fur literally burned. Auri couldn't scream, no matter how much she wanted to, her voice forever destroyed by the electricity frying the nerves and muscles of her throat.--

Charley burned with fever as she coughed and hacked with pneumonia. Lily and Julia were supposed to be back hours ago with her prescription from the pharmacy, what was taking them so long? Her uncle came into the room, sitting beside her on the bed, dear god was he crying? "Oh, Charley-girl, I'm so sorry. I just heard, from the police, Lily and Julia....baby, they were hit by a semi-truck. They're dead."--

_He's alive! Goddess Kusha be praised, Uncle Modo was alive!! _Living in a stadium on Earth, with this pretty human female, and Throttle and Vincent were alive with him. _Good gods, someone up there must really love those three to keep them alive through all this_, Rimfire thought. He blushed as he realized that they could now say that they'd even survived having a spaceship slammed into their house-er, scoreboard?--

A Sand Raider attack had her captured, taken on the slave ships to Sturgeon. Cold nights, terrible work, bitter tastes of what they called food. Suddenly there on Earth, the harsh winter wind still sweeter than the awful stink of the Plutarkian moon. Oh gods, her chest felt like it was on fire! A kind girl's voice, "Don't worry, I've got you now."--

She had just finished sweeping the sidewalk when a clatter from inside made her pause. "Uncle Ryan, you okay?" No answer. She called louder, "Uncle Ryan?" Silence. Charley raced inside the bay, crying out in horror as she saw the last relative she had collapsed on the ground. Please, please god, no, don't do this, don't take him too! She tried to find a pulse and there was nothing, nothing, she immediately began CPR and praying as hard as she could. She was still praying when the paramedics pulled her away from him to try and revive him, still praying when they called his time of death at the hospital, praying it was a dream, a horrible dream she would wake up from--

The prison was dark and smelled like more death than he'd thought possible. Gods, they were holding Stoker here? His heart pounded like a jackhammer as he made it past the guards, through the cells, finding his hero and getting back to the ship. But something seemed off, what was wrong with Stoker? What had they done to him? Rimfire couldn't' escape the fighter ships and headed out to deeper space. His uncle, he could help. Uncle Modo would know what to do. The young mouse made for Earth as fast as the ship could go--

He was beautiful. Fur like pure snow, and eyes as red as blood. He had just been brought to the cell across from theirs, and he stared at them like he was seeing something wonderful. Voxanne and Foale couldn't' help but stare right back, never having seen a male Mouse before. Where all males so handsome? The first time she saw Rev smile, Zodia thought her heart would stop. _Oh my god, I think I'm in love--_

An order had come down from the guards for her to report to her master's office. Auri hurried in to see what was needed when suddenly the world went dark. When she could open her eyes again, she was surrounded by smoke and confusion, a strange alien girl was shaking her shoulder and telling her to get on her bike. Didn't she know that bike? It looked just like Lil' Hoss. The world blurred and cleared again, and she was looking up into the face of her beloved mate. Oh, she must be dreaming, she was having that wonderful dream again. But then he pulled her into his arms, the dream never lasted that long, and she wept in happiness as she felt the warmth surround her--

Her son, her little boy, back by her side. His friends still with him, still fighting the good fight. A Terran woman, she looked positively fragile standing by those boys. They didn't let her go out and fight, did they, oh she'd have their tails. And Throttle was looking at her like the sun rose and set with her. Oh, the dear boy thought he was hiding it, how cute--

"I'm sorry, Charley," Jack said, his voice straining. "I can't-I just can't do this anymore. I'm sorry." And he got up and walked out the door like it was nothing, a bag with his few things over his shoulder. There was no one, now. There was no one left in the world that gave a damn if she lived or died--

The adrenaline was pumping hard in his veins as he lifted the trophy up high. They'd won! They'd jumped from an exploding transporter into some kind of arena and won whatever race this was! Oh life was sweet! He suddenly realized exactly what was going on. They had their helmets off. They were on _Earth. _They were _**being filmed**_. They were gonna be dead little Mice if Throttle ever got a hold of them. Oh life just really sucked. Suddenly a girl, more beautiful than any human Rimfire had ever seen before, came to his side and spoke into the microphone, then pulling him and his bros away from the crowd--

They were staring, their yellow eyes leering as she and her sisters were displayed on the auction block. The awful stench of the Plutarkians threatened to choke her as she was forced to keep her arms down, not a stitch of clothing allowed so that they all could see her body. Voxanne was near tears and Foale had already been whipped once for fighting back against their jailers--

'_Holy shit, the Martians have landed,' _a little voice that sounded suspiciously like Lily's said in the back of her mind. Her hands shook around the odd pistol as she stared at three of the biggest, furriest-(oh god, they have fur!!)-she blinked as what they'd said earlier registered....mice? Mice from....Mars. Biker Mice from Mars? _Alright, its official, my life cannot possibly get any weirder from this point on._ And merciful mother of god, was that white Mouse (Vinnie, that was it), was he actually _flirting_ with her?!--

Auri, by the goddess, a miracle that she was alive! She was thinner, her voice gone, but oh gods, his golden girl was back in his arms. He couldn't' stop his tears as he held her. A miracle, a true miracle. He looked over to the girl Throttle held in his arms, _Charley-girl did this. I have no idea how, but I swear I'll repay her. For everything she's done for me and my bros, for Momma, and now this. Even if it takes a lifetime_--

Rimfire couldn't help his incredulous look, his smile growing brilliant as he went to his grandmother's arms. And Aunt Auri was standing beside his Uncle, how was it possible?! He didn't care that his bros could see him cry, feeling more joy than he thought he ever could--

A new child, Zodia. Rev had said she was Modo's clone, so she was as his twin. So clearly Wheeler's daughter. A shame she could never meet her father, but the girl would have memories of him, Silva would make sure of it--

He didn't love her. That was okay, she brushed tears away from her cheeks, really it was. Love tended to go badly for her, so she should probably avoid it. Charley found a smile as she walked out the scoreboard's catwalk, staring up at the stars. _At least he was honest. And at least we can still be okay after this_. A glance to her left made the breath leave her body. Throttle was standing farther down the way, just gazing up at the shooting stars. Starlight shone on his golden fur, an almost dreamy look on his face. _He's probably seen so many of those stars up close and been to more worlds than I can even dream of. My god, he's beautiful. I wish I had been with him tonight-_she gasped as she realized what that thought really meant. _Oh, hell. No wonder it doesn't hurt so bad about Vinnie. I've been in love with Throttle this whole time. Way to pick'em, girl, he's already taken, remember? _Oh no, he's seen her, she tried to clear her face of tears. "Charley? Hey, Charley-girl, why're you crying? Need me to pound Vincent for ya?"---

Rev and another Mouse, grey like her, crashed through the roof just as the mutants had lunged to attack. Talk about in the 'nick of time'! Charley called something out to-Modo? Oh god, the Mouse she was made from, oh what should she say?! 'Hello' seemed almost tacky. She looked to Rev to ask, but froze in her tracks. He wouldn't love her; she knew it the moment she saw him look at Voxanne. Like he was seeing something wonderful, _'The way he's always looked at her_,' and she felt her heart break--

Throttle kissed her, his mouth gentle against hers like he was afraid that he'd scare her off. But it grew more passionate, her toes curling in her boots as it grew hotter. She'd had no idea that anyone could make her feel like this. And he asked. Oh god, he _asked _what she needed, if he was allowed. _He's the one, this is the one_, she knew it to the bottom of her heart. When she heard him say those three words, words she knew he would never take lightly, she thought her heart might break with joy. So she gave to him what no other had ever, or would ever, have. As they lay on the couch, both their hearts still pounding from the rush, she silently spoke the Words that her mother, her father, her uncle had taught her to only speak to the one she would love for the rest of her life. Not even Jack had ever earned those words.....

Memories returned to their proper order. Thoughts shifted, no longer crossing over to another. The barriers were rebuilt piece by piece, their minds becoming their own again. Exhaustion suddenly swept over them. Most simply slept where they fell, others falling into waiting arms. A sense of true peace settled over them all.

Three clans were renewed, forged in memory and love.

In the other room, Vincent Van Wham smiled as his brother and sister slept, both of them matching his look of serenity. They would never truly walk alone ever again. Their memories would always walk with them, a thousand clan members walking beside them.

"_Sola teth aride, et platea lath_," Throttle Swordknight murmured from across the hall, his eyes closing as his arms tightened around his little brother. Voxanne yawn as she curled up against his side.

'The light called to us, and we are now one.'

*&*&*&*&*&*&


	15. Chapter 15

I know its short, but inspiration finally struck, so I have to post while the postin's good.

Chapter 15

Hours later, several groggy mice and one human had recovered enough to come downstairs for something to eat. Chloe, Thrash, Link were kept busy getting food and drinks for everyone, as most of them acted like they were starving. But that was to be expected. Severe mental fatigue would often manifest as a physical hunger, the better to get proper nutrients and sugars into the body to refuel the brain.

It was mostly quiet around the table, with the occasional word of thanks or please as the food got passed around. Everyone was still feeling out the new bonds, still finding their place in their new families. Looks of mild sympathy and pity, however, were sent to Charley and Throttle. Both of them were taking medicine for pounding headaches, proof of their metal sensitivity. The strain took a greater toll on them than the others.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Rev spoke. "Vinnie? Bro?"

"Yeah, Rev?"

The young white mouse took a deep breath. "Foale and I talked it over, and we want to stay in Las Vegas."

Ears perked up all over the table, and everyone but Foale, Zodia, and Voxanne looked surprised. Vinnie stared at his brother. "What? Why?"

"Someone has to stay and help defend the city from Monterrey," he said firmly. "He knows we're out in the city, and chances are that he'll send his men out to find us. And with that footage from the Sutterfeild Tournament," here Rimfire and his crew blushed, "he knows other Martian Mice are here. He'll bring out some superpowered villians soon, and without a force to counter it, Vegas would be doomed. Someone has to fight him!"

"But why you?" Vinnie said, a thread of fear in his voice. He'd just found his family, and now they wanted to go out and fight?! "Mr. Williams and his boys are here, they know the score. they can take care of Monterrey just fine!"

"But they're on record as U.S. soldiers," Rev pointed out. "Any sort of military action they take will get them thrown in prison for firing in a civilian zone! But Foale and me, we aren't in any database the government has. Miss Chloe gave us the perfect cover already!"

"I did?" She asked in surprise.

"Sure!" Foale answered. "With us as part of the Project M Stunt crew! That can be our cover for anything that happens in the city. Everyone will think its just part of the show!"

"But what about the damages to the city?" Charley asked in concern.

"Bill them to Monterrey," Foale said, her face the picture of innocence. "After all, he's the silent partner in the show. All damages are to be billed to him, per agreement on the contract."

Chloe stared for a minute in awe, then smiled deviously. "You know what? I think that might work. If we hack into the city permit office's records, we can make a false contract and lisence. He'll be so tied up in court trying to the deny the claims that he'll barely have time to hire villians! After that, you guys can blast bad guys to your hearts' content and no one can say anything!"

"That's not a bad idea. And stranger things have happened," Chef Andy said in agreement. "After all, no one even blinks when the monsters and villians show up in Chicago anymore."

"Well then, kids, you best be ready to have your tails handed to you," Mr. Williams said as he stepped into the room. "We won't go easy on you because you're Mice."

Rev smiled. "We wouldn't want it any other way."

"Are you sure?" Vinnie asked, worry clear in his voice now. "Me and my bros live in Chi-town, Rev. the only other back-up you'd have is five states and 40-odd hours away."

"We can't leave innocent people to face Monterrey," Foale said to her brother. "We can't, bro, you know that."

Vinnie lowered his eyes and nodded. "But you're gonna need better stuff. Laser pistols, proper bikes, all that sort of stuff."

"Don't worry, Vin," Charley said with a hand on his shoulder. "I can make a decent set of rides for them as soon as we get home."

"Speaking of home," Voxanne said with a glance at Throttle, "I want to stay here with Rev and Foale."

Throttle frowned at his sister, "Voxanne"--

"I know the risks, and I know that you know that I won't just leave them to face Monterrey alone," she said firmly. "I'm staying with them."

"Me too," said Bend. He went over to Throttle and hugged his big brother. "I love you, bro, but I don't want to leave them. We're a team."

"You're too young to fight," Throttle said sternly. "And what about school? You have to get an education."

"Actually," the young mouse said, "Karbunkle had me subliminally taught while I was still in the growing tank. I'm up to the college sophomore level."

"You are?!" Link said in shock.

"Yep! I probably would have been a senior, but he pulled me out early. Said he didn't want too high of a mental development in case of subsequent escape attempts," Bend said casually. He shifted a bit under everyone's incredulous stares. "What?"

"Uh, nothing," Throttle said quickly. "But that still doesn't mean that you can fight."

"He won't be," Rev said firmly. "He'll be on the sidelines the whole time."

Bend spun to look at Rev. "You mean you don't mind?! You want me to stay?!"

"I would have preferred you ask first," he said with a mild glare, "but sure. We'll need someone who can be trained in hacking. You already proved to me that you know how to hack the codes in Monterrey's Tower, so you can probably hack his database given enough time and resources." He shrugged at the looks he was getting, "What? How did you think I got him out of the cells in the first place?"

"I..." Everyone turned to look at the shy grey mouse that had spoken. "I-I want to stay, too. I can't leave my sisters. And," she gave a half-smile, "someone has to watch out for Rev. He keeps getting shot at, you know."

"All of you are more than welcome to stay here," Chloe said.

"No way!" Rimfire said in almost panic. "They can't stay here!"

She frowned at him, "And just why not?"

"Every time they came back from a battle, they'd lead Monterrey straight to you! Or even try and bomb the house to get rid of you! I'm not saying not to help them, but they can't stay in the house with you," Rimfire said. Several others nodded at that logic.

"Good plan, soldier," Mr. Williams said. "I think I know just the place. Don't worry, kids. We'll have you set up in no time."

Throttle hrmphed, "Then I guess you are staying here." He went over and embraced his siblings, smiling slightly as they hugged him back. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"Of course," Voxanne said with a small smile as Bend nodded. "After all, I have to be there for when you marry Charley, right?"

Throttle's face turned instantly red. "Th-that's...I...But we--its..completely...you-"--

Everyone laughed at his sputtering, diffusing the tension around the table. Zodia couldn't help her chuckle as she added, "And besides, we have to stay in Vegas for another reason. We have one more Mouse to rescue. I know Karbunkle must have made another clone, a boy, for myself and Modo. We have to find him, if he still lives."

*&*&*&

At that very moment, in a lab buried out in the Nevada desert, a large grey mouse was strapped to a table. He'd lived in this laboratory his whole life; given drugs to increase his muscle mass, bone density, and mental development. He would have been the ultimate soldier, if he'd ever received training. But that wasn't what Karbunkle wanted him for, and the poor mouse knew it. Manacles now bound his wrists to his sides, across his chest, and even his neck and the sides of his head. His red eyes were wide in terror as the evil scientist and a robotic assistant came forward, the robot carrying a sterile tray loaded with instruments of torture.

"Now, hold still, Y-1127. This will only hurt till it kills you," Karbunkle said in a hiss as he held up a large-bit drill.

Terrible screams rang out as the drill started to drill through bone and flesh, a tail jerking and thrashing, and then an awful silence and stillness fell across the room. Julian Karbunkle ran a quick scan on the remains, and then gave the robot its instructions. It reached out and pushed his ear out of the way, revealing a metal plate with a small numerical pad embedded in Karbunkle's skull. It tapped in a series of numbers, waited a minute, and then popped the plate off and reached into the now bleeding hole. With a wet squelch, it pulled out a long metal cylinder, and Karbunkle dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. The robot ignored the body and moved forward, inserting the cylinder into the grey mouse's head. Wires sprung from the tube, burying themselves deep into the brain tissue.

The tail twitched as the robot covered the gory hole with another metal plate. A quick administration of ten thousand volts of electricity restarted cardiac efforts, and helped the acclimation process along. A few minutes later, the mouse's chest rose and fell in a regular rhythm. Red eyes opened, now eerily calm and blank. The restraints were slipped off by the robot, and the mouse rose up from the table, absently wiping the blood from its eyes and face.

The robot approached again, this time carrying a long black lab coat that almost didn't fit across the broad shoulders of the mouse. It fell down to the sides of his calves, and he dusted off a spot from his khaki-cargo pants. Black military boots thunked as he walked around the table, tesing out his balance and reflexes. A cruel smile twisted his once handsome face, and a deep voice was now tainted with hissing as it spoke, "At last, a body worthy of this magnificent brain. Some good can finally come from this wasted experiment."

He toed his older body out of the way, striding for the door. "Clean that mess up, robot. Hmm. You know, I almost feel sorry for those wretched mice," Karbunkle said in his new form. "They might recognize the body, but they still won't know what hit them. Like a bullet, I'd imagine, for the shock of it. Ah. Like a bullet. A bullet of very high caliber. Hahaha! Caliber! I like it! Caliber! Dr. Caliber Karbunkle! HahahaHAHAHAHAHA!"

*&*&*&*&&

....ug. nearly made myself sick with that one.


End file.
